Naruto: Bound by Tails
by Captain-Stumbles
Summary: Naruto AU: Ino's clan is wiped out by a masked man and Naruto makes it just in time to save her from her demise. This leads to Naruto ultimately bunking with the young Yamanaka, getting to know each other and becoming good friends. Due to Naruto and Ino's friendship, she is placed on team seven with Sasuke and Naruto. NaruIno, Smart(er)!Naruto, ANBU!Naruto.
1. S1 Ch1: The Death of a Clan!

**Naruto: Binded by Tails Ep/Ch. One. So you read my last book 'Naruko?' Well… I decided to do _Male_ Naruto this time. I have grown fond of NaruIno and I intend for this story to help that. Without me delaying you anymore, read.**

 **Chapter One: The Death of a Clan**

* * *

Ino Yamanaka; a beautiful blonde girl the age of ten, was in class. She like many others fawned over Sasuke because of his great looks and, dark, brooding, emo attitude. He rarely talked and that alone made him mysterious, he never payed attention to any of the girls, he just ignored them and if on occasion he would pay attention, it would be an insult. Ino found it alluring that he continued to attend the academy even after the murder of his entire clan, the Uchiha.

Ino sat behind him, staring at the back of his head. "Naruto! Leave me alone!" She heard the fabled 'Billboard brow' yell. "But Sakura… I haven't even entered the classroom yet." He said with a frown. All he did was open the door and she flipped at him. "I don't care, just stay away from me!" She yelled and he sighed, giving a downcast look. "Okay then Sakura." He said and he sat in the top left corner of the class Naruko was attractive too… actually he was easily as attractive as Sasuke, if not hotter. The problem was well… him.

Ino didn't know how to put it. Naruto was very vibrant and happy and that could be overwhelming but she didn't have anything against the boy, she found his positive attitude refreshing. It was just that everybody seemed to hate Naruto and she herself just wanted to blend in. The boy had a shaggy blonde spikey hair with cerulean blue pools for eyes. He had three whisker marks on each of his cheeks and she thought they were cute. One problem that, if she had ever hung out with him she would fix herself, was his clothing. He insisted on wearing bright orange.

While she had no problem with the color itself, she had worn an orange shirt a lot of her younger life, she just thought he wore _way_ too much. He was always wearing a bright orange shirt with the konoha emblem on the back and orange shorts. He had on an orange short sleeve jacket with blue sleeves and even then that little amount of blue was refreshing, his outfit was completely horrid.

They turned their attention to the teacher as he walked in. "Ok class, today we will be talking about the Fourth Hokage. Who can tell me his real name?" Naruto raised his hand with an eager smile. "Naruto." The teacher said and Naruto responded eagerly. "Minato Namikaze!" He yelled and the teacher nodded with a smile. Iruka-Sensei was one of the only people that didn't treat Naruto like trash. "Can you name some of his achievements?" Naruko nodded hastily.

"He graduated at the academy, early at the age we are now, getting to chunin at eleven, and getting to jonin at twelve, he was in the Anbu until he was in his late twenties, this was when he was selected by Lord Third and put in place as the fourth." Iruka nodded again. "Very good Naruto, though I am curious how you know that. A lot of people don't even know his real name." Naruto shrugged. "I read up on the awesomest hokage because I have to surpass him." Iruka grinned, he knew of Naruto's goal.

His lecture continued for an hour and a half before they went out for some light sparing and shuriken practice. Naruto was terrible at throwing shuriken but he exceeded almost everyone in the class at Taijutsu, he was only matched by Sasuke and even then it was pretty one sided. Ino was number two when it came to taijutsu with the girls, her facing off against Hinata for the number one spot. Hinata was _really_ good when it came to Taijutsu.

After that they went to lunch before finishing their lecture. Ino was one of the kids that walked home by herself as her dad worked at the interrogation place and her mother was usually busy at home. Ino wrinkled her nose as the smell of fire hit her nose. The sky began to go dark, covered by ash and smoke. She took off in a sprint as she spotted her compound, it was her compound up in flames. "Mom!" She yelled and she charged into a flaming building. Her eyes widened when she found her mother dead, lying in a pool of her own blood.

"Mom!" Ino screamed and her father hit the floor from behind the wall, his head rolling along the ground. Her eyes widened. "D-Daddy?" She muttered questioningly, falling to her knees. "Another one? Perfect." Ino's eyes got even wider and fear grasped her heart as a man stepped out from behind the wall, a katana in his hand, dripping with blood. "Lord Orochimaru might want one, I wonder if I should take her." He said but she didn't hear him, there was a loud ringing in her ears.

The man shrugged and raised his sword, preparing to end the girl's life. He brought it down but ti connected with nothing. He frowned and looked around. The door hung off its hinges and a bit of blood laid on the ground where she was before. He shrugged, not caring, he had already completed his task, destroy the Yamanaka clan. Even with that little girl, there was no recovering from what had just happened. There were hundreds of dead Yamanaka's all over the compound. The man then left.

* * *

 **-Ino-**

"Wh-Wha?" She asked out loud, she was floating, and flying very fast at that matter, she looked up and her eyes widened. It was Naruto, a serious look on his face a large cut on his cheek. "N-Naruto?" Naruto looked down and nodded. "Yeah It's me, I smelt fire and I came running. I grabbed you before he got you." He said and she nodded slowly. "A-Are you ok?" She asked and he nodded. "What about you… I mean… I never had any family but I know it has to hurt to have them taken away like that." He muttered and he gave her sad eyes.

"Naruto… where are you taking me?" He smiled at her. "I was taking you to the Old man… Hokage-sama." Ino nodded and subconsciously leaned into his chest, the mental rapeage she had just experience had made her exhausted. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Ino awoke in a room with yellow walls and not that impressive, the bed smelled nice and it was comfortable. An orange blanket was around her and the sheet was white. The pillowcases were orange while the pillows themselves were white. She looked around the room, it was pretty boring, it was clean and that showed that the room lacked what a room should have...stuff.

She got out of the bed and walked out of the room slowly, taking into account that she was wearing the same clothes that she had fallen asleep with. She looked out of the doorway and her eyes widened, Naruto slept peacefully on the couch. The room was covered in his stuff, outfits and scrolls. Naruto himself was shirtless with a pair of black night shorts on. "N-Naruto?" She asked aloud. He opened his eyes immediately and sat up. "What's up?" He asked, ignoring how tired he himself was.

He had a bandage on his face and it hid the cut he received earlier. "Are we in your house?' Naruto shrugged. "Well, I guess you could call it that now… I mean I just moved in today but technically it's _our_ house." He said and she frowned. "Our?" Naruto nodded. "Yeah, the Hokage insisted that you stay with me while they repaired your house and he provided me with the keys to my moms old house I guess." Naruto said. "He refused to tell me anything about her or my dad but he is letting me stay here… strange."

"Wh-What about my family?" Naruto expected this question but it made his breathing hitch. "I'm sorry Ino… you're the last Yamanaka." Her eyes widened and tears began to fall down her face. "N-No." She whispered, she wanted to give up. "Hey… it's gonna be alright." Naruto said and he was about to wrap her in a hug but she pushed him away and ran into the room, slamming the door and locking it. He shrugged and laid down on the couch again. "Goodnight." He said. He didn't hear anything but silent sobbing in the house.

Naruto looked at the clock and he frowned it was three AM. "Man…" He muttered and he forcefully pulled himself up, going to search the kitchen, to his surprise, everything was covered in preservation seals and there was plenty of food in there. He took out a package of meat and cheese, grabbing some bread and making himself an improvised sandwich. He made a pot of coffee. "I'm ten… I shouldn't be drinking this crap." Naruto said, sipping at his coffee.

He watched some TV quietly."Yo Ino! I dunno if you are going but it's time for school so I'm gonna head out." He heard a muffled. "Kay." Naruto left for school in his normal school outfit. He made it to the class and to his surprise, everyone was talking about the extermination of the Yamanaka clan. Naruto sneered. "Will you shut up!" He yelled at all of them, getting surprised looks. "What?" Sakura asked him as if he had grown a second head.

"Do you really think Ino would want this to be the conversation in the school? C'mon! Look at Sasuke! He used to talk to people! How do you think Ino feels right now!?" He yelled and they looked down with ashamed looks. "Looks like you have someone to talk to teme." Naruto said and he sat in his usual spot. He noticed that some people stayed a little further away from Sasuke after he said this and the door opened. "Huh?" It was Ino with a fake smile on her face, it was _obviously_ fake though. "You didn't need to come today Ino." Sakura said, patting her friend on the back and pulling her into a hug.

"It's ok Sakura… it happens, loss is a part of being a ninja." She said and Sasuke realized she was right but he still desired revenge against his brother. "Okay…" Sakura said and she returned to her seat. Ino had to ask the hokage about getting more clothes. Ino went up to the corner next to Naruto, surprising even him. He grinned at her and she sighed. "Yo. I figured that since the Old Man gave me some of my inheritance, I would take you shopping or give you money for shopping yourself." He whispered to her so that nobody else could hear. This was her opportunity.

"Okay Naruto but you are getting new clothes as well." Naruto nodded. "I was thinking maybe a deep red." He said and she shook her head. Then again, they really didn't know what color he looked good with. "No. You need to chill with the bright colors. If you are going to be a ninja then you have to dress like one. Orange doesn't help during missions, you need more black." Naruto nodded. "I understand, the only problem with that is that I'm not allowed in other shops." Naruto muttered and she frowned. "Why not?" He looked at his stomach and sighed, shrugging. "I dunno." She didn't buy it but she relented, paying attention as Iruka began speaking.

* * *

 **-Two Weeks Later-**

Naruto looked in the mirror, Ino and himself had finally found a store that would sell him clothing and even though they were a bit more costly, Naruto had been given a bit of inheritance so he could afford it easily. He was rather pleased with his new look. He wore a white open jacket like a hoodie and it had the konoha swirl on the back. Under that was a deep red shirt with a horizontal black line in the abdomen area going around the shirt. His pants were just a pair of black ninja pants and he wore black ninja sandals. Ino had let him wear the deep red because it looked nice on him.

Naruto walked out with a grin on his face and his hands behind his head. "Eh?" Naruto heard. "NARUTO!?" It was Sakura. 'Oh god.' Naruto thought. He used to like Sakura, like two weeks ago… but being around Ino who was just as pretty… plus she wasn't a total bitch… kinda made him hate being around Sakura. "What?" He asked and she narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to be cool like Sasuke!?" Naruto shook his head. "Teme doesn't have anything on me." Ino punched him on top of his head.

"Shut up!" She yelled and Sakura snickered. "So Ino, you're hanging around Naruto now, I thought you went for the dark brooding type?" Ino frowned visibly. "I do... " Naruto spoke up. "Geez Sakura, you really think she would go out with _me_? Yeah you must have bumped your big forehead or something because that would never happen." He said and he grinned at Sakura's enraged look. "You idiot!" She yelled and she punched at him. Naruto took a step back and the punch hit air.

"Yeah that's not happening." He said and he turned to walk away, leaving a stunned Ino, he had just berated himself for her benefit. "Hey Baka! Wait up!" She yelled and he stopped as she ran after him. "We can't exactly just end the day here. How about we go grab something to eat? I hear you like ramen?" Naruto grinned ear to ear. "You heard incorrectly Ino!" She frowned. "I love it!" She growled and bonked him on the head btu gave a heartwarming smile. "Well then let's go." He nodded and they made their way to his favorite ramen stand.

"Miso please!" He yelled and Ino tapped her chin. "I'll have the same." She said calmly. "Oh you brought a girl Naruto!" Ayame said, teasing Naruto and he just shrugged. "Actually it was more like she brought me." He said and Ayame giggled. "How many bowls Naruto?" Teuchi asked and Naruto tapped his chin. "I think eight should satisfy." His stomach grumbled. "Make that ten." Teuchi nodded.

"Ten bowls of ramen? No offense but do you realize how unhealthy that is Naruto?" Ino asked and Naruto frowned. "Unhealthy?" Ino nodded. "If this is how you eat, it's no wonder you're so short." Naruto laughed sheepishly but then frowned. "I'm not short!" He yelled and she grinned. "Oh yeah shorty?" He growled and turned, devouring his bowls. "I'm getting you on a diet Naruto." She said and he ignored her. She ate hers as well. They left after that and unknown to them, they were being watched by a certain pale eyed girl.

Well… unknown to Ino… Naruto knew that she watched him frequently, he wasn't sure if she liked him, admired him, obsessed over him, or was trying to get the jump on him but he didn't really mind her watching. Hinata's eyes widened when she watched them enter the same apartment. "N-No way…" She said the herself and she activated her clan bloodline. "It's like they live together…" She said and she turned. "No way…" She muttered, Were they really together? She turned back and saw Ino in the bedroom but Naruto was topless on the couch. "Maybe not… it's getting late I should get home."

She turned and returned to her home. She would look into it more soon. The next day they left for class. Naruto sat in his usual secluded spot and Ino took hers next to him. They were slowly but surely becoming good friends. Ino would occasionally catch Sasuke staring at her and even though she thought that she was madly in love with the brooding boy, she felt more when Naruto gave her the time of day. She was still broken up about her family but Naruto was slowly beginning to fill that gap… and not as family but as something completely different, it was like she was wandering through darkness and he was a pillar of light.

She had also noticed that Naruto was much stronger than he let on. Maybe not as strong as her precious Sasuke… but strong nonetheless… it was like he was purposefully getting deadlast in the academy. Naruto laid his head on the desk next to her and fell asleep. "It's Naruto and Ino!" Sakura yelled and Ino's eyes widened. "I heard she was dating the loser!" Sakura yelled and Ino growled at her. "I guess that she had to rebound somehow with the death of her clan." Sakura said coldly and the class went quiet. Sakura was thrown to the ground by nothing… or what looked like nothing but Naruto was practically leaking killer intent and she felt her face flush red, she couldn't breath.

" _ **Shut your fucking mouth.**_ " Naruto said and the pressure died down, she took a deep breath and stared at Naruto like he had grown a second head. "Y-You-" Sasuke spoke up. "Sakura." She turned to him in hope that he had come to her defense but he had a glare of his own. "Don't go spouting nonsense that you know nothing about… shut up." He said and he turned to the front of the classroom, a blank look in his eyes. "S-Sasuke?" Sakura asked and the door opened, letting Iruka in. Iruka looked at the state of the now crying pinkette

"What happened to Haruno." Iruka asked and Naruto shrugged. Fortunately for him, nobody really cared. "Sasuke told her to shut up." Ino spoke up and he looked at Sakura in disbelief, that turned her into this? "Geez... Sakura take your seat." He said and she sat in a secluded seat toward the door. "Today we will be talking about-"

-Two Week Timeskip-

Naruto walked out of the hokage's office with a frown. He heard that Ino wouldn't be able to return home for awhile, not that he minded, he rather enjoyed her company but she didn't seem to like it. "Yo Ino!" He yelled when he spotted her on her way into his apartment but she didn't hear him. He began to run but he crashed into someone. "O-Oh! Sorry Old Man Asuma!" Naruto yelled and Asuma chuckled. "No problem Naruto, don't let me stop you from going." He said and Naruto rushed past him.

"Ino!" Naruto yelled as he entered his apartment. She turned to him. "Huh? What's up?" She asked and he grinned sheepishly. "You wanna go out with me?" She frowned. She felt her heart speed up and a small blush came to her cheeks. Everything was telling her to accept his offer but she rolled her eyes. "No." He sighed. At least she didn't hit him like Sakura did. "Oh well! I'll do better next time!" He yelled and he pumped his fist chilishly. "Sure." She said.

He ran to his stuff. "I'm gonna go train for a while!" Ino smirked at him. "Oh really? You think that will stop me from calling you baka?" He nodded with a grin. "Count on it." She shook her head. "Never gonna happen blondie." He frowned and raised an eyebrow. "You're blonde too." She shook her head. "Not like _that_ though." Naruto grinned and left, leaving Ino to herself. She leaned against the wall with a hand on her chest and a heavy blush on her face. She slid down. "D-Did he just ask me out?" She asked herself and she had to fight back the urge to run after him. "You baka…" She whispered.

* * *

 **-Naruto-**

Naruto feverishly tried to do the clone jutsu but failed miserably every time. "Come on! I only have a week left to do this!" Naruto yelled and he attempted again. "Oh. Just my luck." Naruto frowned as he recognized the voice. "Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked, turning toward the white haired chunin who was dressed in his combat uniform with two large shuriken on his back. "What are you doing here?" Naruto asked and Mizuki grinned. "I was about to leave but I figured that you would like to know some crucial information." At the same time Naruto growled. He already knew what Mizuki was going to tell him. "So what?" Naruto finished for him. "It's just a dumb fox." Naruto said, not letting Mizuki tell him.

"Oh, you already know… well I have news for you, you _are_ the nine tailed fox, not just a container." Naruto looked down, his hair shadowing his eyes. "Now die you demon!" Mizuki yelled and he hurled the shuriken at Naruto. Naruto was unable to move and the shuriken impaled him in the chest, making him fall onto his back with blood pouring from his mouth and chest. 'W-What?' Naruto couldn't form a single thought. "Well… I was kind of hoping that the demon brat would have more fight in him but whatever." He said and he turned to flee, he still had the scroll.

"Oh?" He muttered as a platinum blonde girl made her way into the clearing with tears in her eyes. "I-Ino?" He asked and she propped his head up on her lap, ignoring the blood staining her clothing. "Damn it Naruto… I just help you get that shirt…" She muttered. "Y-Yeah… s-sorry about th-that…" He muttered and his eyes slowly closed. "N-No… Naruto!" She yelled and she shook him, his hand lifelessly fell to the side. "Naruto!" She screamed and he didn't move. "No… please… you were supposed to be there for me after the death of my clan." She muttered and she began to cry freely.

"So the demon had friends?" Mizuki asked her, turning back around. Her breathing hitched as she looked at him. He smirked. "I' assuming you heard what I told him. So why weep for him, knowing that he is a demon?" Ino growled at him. "Because he wasn't a demon! He was my friend!" Mizuki sneered. "You little bitch! You should have been exterminated with your clan." Mizuki said and he pulled the kunai off of his back. He threw it at Ino and she covered herself with her arms, closing her eyes. The shuriken never struck, Naruto had caught it, standing in front of Ino. His hair shadowed his eyes. " **Don't you touch her bastard!** " He yelled and he blasted at Mizuki.

Mizuki was a trained chunin so he wasn't about to be caught off guard by the demon brat. He dodged a well placed punch by stepping to the side and he went to kick Naruto in the back but he had disappeared. Mizuki's eyes almost bulged out of his head and he coughed up blood as Naruto planted his knee into the chunin's gut, sending him rolling back, clutching his broken ribs. "Y-You demon!" Mizuki yelled and Naruto scowled at him, revealing his eyes, they were still their soft cerulean but the pupils were slits.

Mizuki stood and pulled out a kunai with a bomb tag on it. He grinned and threw it at Ino. Ino's eyes widened and she once again put up her arms but she never felt anything besides the gust of air from the explosion. She opened her eyes, she got a flashback. Naruto was carrying her bridal style on top of a high branch in a tree. He set her down. "Go alert the Anbu… I'll stall him." Naruto whispered, leaving no room for argument. She nodded and left with a small blush on her cheeks. Naruto returned to the clearing, throwing a roundhouse that Mizuki raised his forearm to block. Naruto was pushed back by a show of strength from Mizuki and he was kicked in the chest, flying back, landing on his stomach.

Naruto stood up and grabbed a shuriken that was planted in the ground next to him, spinning it in his hand and jumping at Mizuki. Mizuki pulled out a kunai and blocked the swing from the enraged Naruto before punching just under his wrist, making him lose his grip on the shuriken. Mizuki kicked Naruto in the face before kneeing him in the gut and grabbing him, throwing him into a tree. Naruto groaned in pain. He stood up and got back in a battle position. Mizuki threw the shuriken at him and Naruto jumped out of the way, wincing as it grazed his forearm. Naruto grabbed a kunai from the ground and stabbed a Mizuki who was a little surprised by his show of aggressiveness.

Naruto managed to lodge the kunai in the man's shoulder but Mizuki basically just shrugged it off and grabbed Naruto by the face, proceeding to repeatedly slam his head into the ground. Mizuki continued even after the boy was unconscious. Blood flying from the boys head. Mizuki was then decapitated by the sword of an Anbu with Ino behind him. "Take him to the hospital." The Anbu said to another one and the Anbu complied. "Hokage-sama, what do we do?" The Hokage sighed, taking a puff from his pipe. "Nothing, await Naruto's recovery."

Said boy was now in a hospital bed, on life support, his heart barely active. Naruto winced in his sleep. Ino stared at him from his bedside. "Why?" She asked out loud. Naruto had saved her three times now.

* * *

 **-Unknown Place-**

"D-Damn that hurt…" Naruto muttered as he clung to the wall of a large sewer. "What the hell?" He muttered, in front of him was a massive cage with silent, massive, red eyes staring him down. He grinned. "Yo." He said with a small wave but he then winced at the pain in his side. " **Yo? I figured that you would already know who I am?** " Naruto's grin widened. "I do but I just don't care. I feel like this relationship would be better it was built on positivity and kindness, besides, you haven't tried to attack me yet." The fox shook its head with a large foxy grin. " **I like that perspective brat but I am made of hatred.** " Naruto shook his head.

"I don't believe that. I've done my homework, you were said to be created by the sage of six paths himself right? He is the god of ninja, the original. In that case, he couldn't have been a bad guy." The fox grunted. " **Your point?** " Naruto put his hands behind his head and the area slowly began to change. The ground turned white before blades of grass covered the ground with an occasional flower. The area turned bright yellow for a moment before it was replaced by a beautiful sunset that was set over a massive gorgeous lake and waterfall. The fox was still restrained by a leash that was strapped to a wooden post, the post read "Seal".

"My point it that he wouldn't have created a being of hatred, you are just misunderstood… I have some theories on the incident anyway." The fox frowned. " **Theories?"** Naruto nodded. "I think that you were controlled, I was reading about the fight between the first hokage and Madara Uchiha… if he could control you, who's to say that only he can? I think the Uchiha were plotting." Naruto said and the fox visibly scowled.

" **You would be correct in that regard brat. I was controlled, in fact, it was an Uchiha… I think it was Madara again but I couldn't be too sure.** " Naruto nodded. "Well, either way the villagers still hate us for what you did, whether you were in control or not." The fox nodded solemnly. "But hey! Now that I've talked to you, we can make a deal or something where I can access your chakra right?" The fox shook its head. " **It's not that simple brat. We would have to merge our chakra, and that would be excruciatingly painful.** " Naruto grinned.

"Do it." He said with no hesitation. " **Hmm…** " The large fox seemed to contemplate. " **Fine**." He said and Naruto grinned. "How do we do it?" Naruto asked and the fox gestured to the seal. " **Just tear off some of the seal and I'll do the rest.** " Naruto walked over to the seal and looked at it for a moment, the fox seemed to be trustworthy. "Done." Naruto said and he tore off a quarter of the seal. The fox's eyes widened. " **I could have been lying to you brat.** " Naruto shrugged. "I felt like I could trust you." The fox nodded. " **Come here.** " Naruto walked over to him and the fox placed its paw in front of Naruto, it's claw raising. He then impaled Naruto who's eyes widened rolled back into his head.

"O-Ouch…" He muttered and Kyuubi began to channel chakra. Naruto began to scream in pain, this was going to suck.

* * *

 **-So here is the first chapter of my new story… you like? I am trying an interesting way of doing things. This is** _ **not**_ **a team seven story, it's going to be Ino swapped for Sakura. Naruto is also going to join the ANBU black ops. Anyway… Maybe I'll do a poll on my profile for Naruto's abilities, mask, and such… maybe I'll just have him a genjutsu expert. All I know is that his abilities will be similar to Naruko's from my story 'Naruko'. Smart! Naruto, Strong!Naruto, Anbu!Naruto, NaruIno! Should I give him a kekkei genkai? OH! Maybe he steals a sharingan from Danzo or something. Well whatever, Review and tell me what you think, follow for the next chapter update, and favorite if you think the story has potential.**


	2. S1 Ch2: The Days before Graduation

**Welcome! I hope you enjoyed so far, remember that I do not own Naruto or it's characters, also remember to read and review, follow and favorite… and PM me if you feel like it.**

"Talking."

'Thinking.'

" **Beast Talking**."

' **Beast Thinking.** '

 _Jutsu!/Emphasizing_

Ch. 2: The Days Before Graduation

* * *

Ino screamed as she sat up. "Daddy…" She muttered and she hugged her knees to her chest. She was covered in a cold sweat. She weeped silently. The house was empty and Ino was alone. She heard a door open and her eyes widened. "You okay?" Naruto asked, he was back… but when did he get back… why did he look so different. Naruto was a couple inches taller than her, just as tall as Sasuke. He wore the standard white shirt of the hospital and it clung to his body, revealing extreme muscle mass, a full six pack and large chest. His bottom was covered by a pair of grey night shorts.

"Naruto… when'd you get back?" She asked and Naruto shrugged. "An hour ago… are you okay? I heard you scream." Naruto said and he sat on the edge of the bed. He gave her concerned eyes. "Naruto… I miss them." She muttered and she began to cry. "I miss them so much… I miss mom… I miss daddy… I miss uncle… I miss auntie… I miss my nephews and nieces… I miss my entire clan." Naruto nodded and he laid back, his head between her feet. "I can't tell you it will be okay Ino… that's where I messed up last time… if I'm honest, I'm not sure I would recover from that…" Naruto looked deep into her eyes. "But one thing I _can_ tell you… is that I'm here for you. Tell me if you need help, I'll be there in a flash."

Naruto grinned as her eyes widened. "Thank you Naruto…" She sobbed out and he nodded. "I can't really relate… I never had any family in the first place… having them and losing them is different though… it's like being given a gift and having it taken away just when you get to the best part." Naruto said. "I could never relate to something like that… I would rather have my own, lonely childhood… than to have my happiness stripped away like that." He sat up and turned to her. "I want you to be okay Ino… I really do… you're my new best friend. Over these last four and a half weeks, I discovered that family is possible… even without relatives. These last four weeks have been the best four weeks in my life."

Ino pulled him into a hug. "Sorry Naruto… I have been a little harsh on you…" She muttered into his ear and he smiled, not bothering to hug her back, just letting her hug him. "No problem… I'm sure I would be too." He said and he grinned. "Now, we should get to bed, I want to go get some new clothes tomorrow, my outfit was in tatters… unsalvageable." He said and he began to get up but she pulled him back down. "Can you… sleep in here tonight?" He nodded with a small smile on his face. "Of course Ino." He said and he rolled off the side of the bed, onto the floor.

"Now let's get to bed… I'm tired." Naruto said and Ino nodded to herself. "Okay." Naruto slowly closed his eyes and he let himself drift off to sleep. Ino grabbed her blanket and slipped onto the floor next to him, curling up to his side and drifting off to sleep as well. Naruto was unresponsive.

* * *

 **-Next Morning-**

Naruto woke up with a groan, why was he so heavy, his back ached as if something was pressing him into the floor. Ino was asleep with half over her body on top of him, her hand wrapped around him like a teddy bear and her legs intertwined with his own. His eyes widened when he realized the situation. "Uh oh…" He muttered and he tried as hard as he could to get away, managing to get away he tiptoed out of the room and Ino opened her eyes with a smile. "Baka." She muttered and she sat up. Naruto was out cooking something for breakfast already.

She walked out and the scent of eggs wafted up her nose, she was glad she had showed him how to make things and season them. Naruto greeted her with a nervous wave. "Hey did you get taller?" She asked and he nodded. "Yeah, I guess I grew like two or three inches." He said and she grinned at him. "I guess I can't call you shorty anymore." Naruto shook his head with a smirk. "No you can't shorty." Ino growled at him but smiled. "So you want to go get clothes today blondie-kun?" She asked and he blushed at the emphasis. "U-Uh yeah…" She smirked at his blush. "I'm going with you, to make sure you don't get anything too horrid."

Naruto growled at her. "Yeah right! I'm going by myself!" He yelled childishly and she grinned. "Are you sure?" He frowned for a moment. "Fine." He said and she nodded, eating the breakfast he had prepared. She took in his features. Naruto seemed lighter if that made sense… he seemed less… heavy, like he carried himself better. His whisker marks were barely visible and you would have so squint hard to see them as they were basically non existent. His eyes were a bit darker, taking on more of a navy blue then a cerulean. His hair seemed more like the mane of a lion, spikier and a bit longer. His goggles were around his forehead.

"Ok let me get dressed and we can go." Ino said and she went to get dressed, he let out a sigh that he didn't know he was holding. "Man… she is going to be the death of me… I wonder if Sakura recovered from the shock of being called forehead girl by me?" He asked himself and suddenly there was a knock at the door. He went and opened it, revealing said pinkette. "Hey Naruto… I wanted to apologize about the… other… daaaaa...aaa-" She trailed off when Ino emerged from behind a wall with her hair wet and a set of fresh clothing. Sakura felt her entire face turn red.

"I-Ino!?" She screamed and Naruto put his arm in front. "Continue." He said and she slowly nodded. "I'm apologizing for the other day. I was out of line, and I guess I can apologize to Ino as well." Ino walked up to Naruto's side. "I'm sorry Ino… I was just mad that Naruto called me 'forehead'." Ino grinned at her and pulled her into a hug. "So I guess it's true then? You _are_ dating Naruto?" Ino turned red as did Naruto. "N-No!" Naruto yelled. "She just lives with me because of what happened!" He yelled and Sakura frowned. 'What happened? Oh he must be talking about her clan being wiped out… why Naruto though?' She thought in confusion.

"The old m- Hokage-sama… said that it would be a good idea for us to live together since I've never had a family and she lost hers… he said that we could sort of relate and it would be better than letting her live with the teme." Sakura knew who he was talking about. "So… the Hokage could have made her live with Sasuke?" Naruto nodded. "And he figured that it would be better for both of you to bunk together?" Naruto nodded again. "Although we don't share a bed, I sleep on the couch. It's easy to afford this place too, because it was my 'mom's' apartment apparently and the rent is easy to afford with Ino's inheritance and mine."

"I thought you said you didn't have parents…" Sakura said and Naruto shrugged. "He refused to tell me anything about them and gave me the key to this place, also free access to her bank account." Sakura nodded. "I also noticed that you look different Naruto… you're taller, I can barely see your whiskers, and your eyes are darker." Naruto shrugged. "Growth spurt." She frowned. "Why haven't either of you been at school for a couple days?" Naruto grinned. "I fought Mizuki-teme." He said and Sakura frowned. "I was in the hospital for a couple days, Ino just decided to wait for my recovery before returning. I'm headed to get some new clothes." He said and Sakura nodded.

Overall this was a lot of information to process. "Could I come with you? I was going to go to Ino's today so I don't really have anything to do anymore." Naruto nodded with a small smile. "Of course." Sakura smiled back. They all left for the building where Naruto could buy clothes. When they arrived something immediately caught Naruto's eye. He grabbed an orange jacket with black short sleeves. He then grabbed a couple pairs of ninja pants, a dark grey one and a black one. He then grabbed a handful of white/black/blue/green shirts. He walked into the dressing room and emerged soon after, his grey ones on with the jacket over the white tee. He left on his black sandals. "How do I look?" Naruto asked with a grin. "The orange isn't bad on the eyes, I like it just as much as the first one." Ino said and Sakura nodded.

Naruto purchased the outfit. He and the other two went out for food, talking. Naruto was reluctant to go to a certain restaurant and Ino knew why but Sakura was confused. They ended up at a barbeque place, eating with Shikamaru and Choji. "Oh Naruto, you grew." Shikamaru said and Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I hit a small growth spurt." Choji frowned. "Small? That leaves you as tall as Sasuke at least." Naruto nodded. "Yeah but if you really think about it, Sasuke isn't the tallest guy either." Shikamaru nodded. "So what are you doing hanging out with _Sakura and Ino_?" Naruto shrugged. "I dunno, I was going to hang out with Ino but Sakura tagged along, I don't mind." Sakura and Ino were lost in their own conversation about gossip and they kept glancing at Naruto.

Naruto leaned back after her ate and sighed, closing his eyes, listening to the conversation going on around him. ' **Brat. Someone is about to attack you.** " Naruto's eyes widened at the sound of the fox's voice. He looked around and he stood up, walking outside. Sasuke stood with a glare. "What's up teme?" Naruto asked and Sasuke growled at him. "I can sense your chakra dobe, how are you so much stronger?" Naruto frowned and rubbed the back of his head. "Eating right?" Sasuke pulled out a shuriken and threw it at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened, he wasn't really combat trained so when the shuriken seemed to slow down drastically he just jumped to the side, letting it fly past him. Sasuke stuck his hands in his pockets. "Nevermind, nobody that is combat trained would dodge like that." He turned and walked away. Naruto looked at the retreating form of Sasuke before speaking. "Slowed down shuriken? What the hell Kyuubi?" He heard chuckling from inside him. ' **When you get faster, things that normally would have been impossible to see, slow down. You've gotten a** _ **lot**_ **faster.** ' Naruto nodded and he turned to a confused Ino and Sakura. "What happened?" She asked him, looking at Sasuke's retreating form. "He was curious if I was stronger since I grew."

Ino shrugged and watched Sakura run after the Uchiha boy. "Well there she goes to spy on Sasuke, You training at all today?" Naruto shrugged. "I might run a couple laps and do some push-ups but that's it, why, you wanna come?" Ino nodded. "Yeah, maybe I could give you some pointers." Naruto shook his head with a smirk and they made their way to a clearing that Naruto trained in. Ino took notice that the trees around were worn down like someone repeatedly struck them. Naruto peeled off his jacket and began to run around the clearing. Ino watched him with bored eyes. "Maybe turn a jog into a sprint Naruto."

Naruto nodded and dust kicked up, he took off in a quick sprint that she could still keep up with. "C'mon, you can run faster than that, you aren't even sweating!" Naruto disappeared from her field of vision, clouds of dust kicking up all around the area. Her eyes widened when he pulled to a stop, sweating slightly. He turned to her. "Was that better?" She nodded. "I didn't know you were that fast Naruto…" He nodded. "Yeah. Now what?" He asked and she tapped her chin, maybe she could get him to take off her shirt and do sit ups. "Shirtless sit-ups." He peeled off his shirt, throwing it to the side. Her eyes widened at his body, he was ripped.

"Oh my…" She muttered and he gave her a confused look. "What?" She shook her head quickly. "N-Nothing, do the exercise." Naruto complied.

This training went on for a while. They had been there for three hours, doing whatever Ino instructed him to do. They returned to their home after that, ready to eat and get ready for school the next day, they had the graduation exam in a couple days. Naruto took a much needed shower, putting on his normal night shorts but staying shirtless, laying on the couch, it was the middle of summer so he really didn't need a blanket. Naruto closed his eyes, it was still early but he wanted a headstart on the next day so he went to sleep. Ino followed suit, sleeping in the room, feeling safe with him in the other room.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **-Ino's Dream-**

Ino ran from a man with a mask. The same man that destroyed her entire clan. She dodged a volley of shuriken by ducking and she threw a kick at his incoming form but he caught her leg and slammed her into the floor. He then threw her away from him, weaving through hand seals.

 _Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!_

Ino's eyes widened and she covered herself with her arms, one thing on her mind, a name. 'Naruto help me… please.' There was a flash and the fireball was canceled out. Ino looked out and saw Naruto's back. He looked over his shoulder and grinned at her. Her eyes widened and a blush filled her cheeks. "Naruto…" She whispered and the dream took a different turn.

Ino found herself in a bed with purple blankets, she wasn't under them though, she was on top. Naruto entered the room with a grin and he sat next to her. She looked down at herself and she was almost naked. Her eyes widened and Naruto leaned in to kiss her, his chest bare and in boxers. Ino felt herself begin to lean in.

* * *

 **-Real World-**

Ino woke up with a gasp and sweat rolling down her body, her pajamas pretty wet from sweat and her panties soaked from the wet dream she had just had, it was light outside and the smell of breakfast hit her nose. She sat up quickly, embarrassed. She ran to the bathroom with a change of clothes and changed hastily, making sure to hide her panties at the bottom of her clothes. She walked out and greeted Naruto with a heavy blush and a 'good morning'.

"Hey are you okay? You are extremely red, have you been hanging out with Hinata lately?" Ino had to suppress a laugh at his cluelessness. "Anyway, are you already dressed, we have school in an hour." Ino nodded. "Let's leave after we eat." Naruto shook his head. "I'm gonna get a head start, I'm going early. Should I wear the black pants or the grey ones?" She tapped her chin. "Grey." Naruto nodded. "What about shirts? Blue, Green, Black, Gray, or… Orange?" She frowned. "White." Naruto frowned as well. "I didn't say white." She shrugged. "I did." He shrugged as well and grabbed his clothing, going into the bathroom. He changed and made his way out, scarfing the food down and leaving with a 'bye'.

She waved at him as the door closed and she then facepalmed. "I had a wet dream about Naruto…" She muttered, horror spread across her face. "I've never even had a wet dream about Sasuke…" She slammed her head on the table. "What the hell is wrong with me?" She asked herself and she ate in silence, going to school after. Naruto was already in the back, seeming deep in thought. She frowned and took her spot next to him… or two seats down from him because two spots were filled by random girls. "Oh Ino!" He yelled and he scooted over one seat. "Sit here." He said, patting the desk where he was previously.

She got up and sat next to him, waiting for Iruka to come in.

Naruto went back into his brain while Ino listened to girls gossip about Sasuke and talk bad about Naruto. She sighed and laid her head down.

"Yo Ino." She sat up. "Huh?" Naruto grinned at her. "It's time for lunch, I brought some, you hungry?" She looked around, it was in fact lunchtime, it seemed that she had fallen asleep. She smiled at Naruto. "Yes please." Naruto nodded. "Hey you slept for a long time, did you sleep last night?" He asked and she nodded. "Yeah, I don't know why I'm so tired." He nodded.

"You wanna come with me to train again after school? Yesterday was a great workout." She shook her head. "No, I think I'm gonna see if I can hang out with Shika and Choji." Naruto nodded with a grin. The rest of the day went by normally and Naruto vanished after school ended.

* * *

 **-Naruto-**

Naruto crossed his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He shouted. He channeled a _lot_ of chakra into it and his eyes widened when literally thousands of solid copies of himself appeared. "So… this is easy." Naruto muttered. ' **I told you brat**.' Naruto nodded. "SO apparently whatever you guys do is passed on over to me so basically just practice any chakra control exercises and I will take a group of you to do some taijutsu work… well not really taijutsu because I don't have a style yet but I am going to increase my reaction time." He got an army of nods and he did exactly as he said he would do.

After his training he made all of his clones disappear. His eyes widened and then rolled into the back of his head as he was hit with an overload of information. He fell backward, unconscious. "Ouch…" He muttered in his sleep.

Hours passed and Ino went to where he was training to find him unconscious in the middle of the field. "Naruto!" She yelled and she ran to his side, sighing in relief when she found that he was just unconscious. "You baka." She muttered and she propped him up, basically dragging him back to their abode. She threw him onto the couch and went to bed herself. Naruto turned over to get comfortable and she slipped blissfully.

The night flew by quickly and Naruto awoke the next morning to Ino shaking him awake. "Geez baka, you are really hard to wake up." Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I trained really hard yesterday." She nodded. "I can tell." He sat up, ignoring the headache he had and he got ready for the day, leaving to the academy with her. He sat next to her in their normal spots, girls crowding around them now. Naruto found it annoying. Sasuke smirked at him, having finally gotten some of his fangirls to leave him alone.

"Stupid teme…" Naruto muttered and Ino frowned at him. "What's the matter?" Naruto shrugged. "He just pisses me off, I hope I'm not on his team." Ino sighed. "Well, whatever happens I want to be on Shika, Choji, Sasuke's, or your team." Naruto nodded. "I wouldn't mind Shikamaru or Choji, I don't like the teme but I have to admit that it would be better having him on my team than Kiba. Plus it would add to the dynamic of the team without parents." He said with a small smile at his little joke. She frowned as she thought about that. "You know… I still like Sasuke, Naruto… just not as much as I used too because I used to see him a impenetrable… but now that... _that_ has happened to my clan… I can't help but feel like… he isn't that mentally strong."

Naruto nodded with a grin, grabbing her hand suddenly, surprising her and causing a blush to spread across her cheeks. "What are you doing baka?" She whisper yelled. "Ino." He said seriously. "I'm here for you…" He said and he grinned. "Remember that. Okay?" Ino nodded slowly, unsure of what to say, her words were caught in her throat anyway. She then smirked however, a playful look in her eyes. "If you keep saying stuff like that Baka… I might fall for you." His grin widened. "I'm looking forward to it." Her eyes widened. "You baka…" She muttered and she turned away with a heavy blush.

"Ok class, shut up. Your graduation is in two days, act like it. I basically just have some last minute pointers today. Since you have the day off tomorrow to prepare, I figured that I would say a proper goodbye to each of you." Naruto's grin seemed to lighten the room at his favorite teacher talking. The day went by rather quickly, just chatting with the teacher. Naruto and Ino left after to go get something to eat for lunch, as they hadn't brought one. Naruto took her to Ichiraku, Ino was hesitant to break her diet but Naruto seemed to know exactly how to help her with this.

"Oh… I dunno Naruto… I'm on a die-" He interrupted her with a grin and a clap, she frowned at him and raised an eyebrow. He put his hand on her head childishly and her cheeks turned red with frustration. "Y-You baka!" She yelled and she swung at him, he could see it in slow motion and he could have easily dodged but he had a point to make. The fist impacted into his cheek, pushing his head back a bit, she had put all of her strength into it, which was why she was surprised when he shrugged off her punch and began talking.

"Ino, that punch was a demonstration of what you are capable of with the diet active, now watch." Naruto said and he turned, punching a wall. It cracked. "See? Think about it this way, eat right and train, If you train hard enough, it won't matter what you eat. Right?" She nodded. "Now, either way it wouldn't matter to me, Ino is Ino. No matter how big or small, I'd love her either way." He said and he turned around with his hands in his pockets. "Now let's go." He said and she followed him into the ramen stand. Naruto ordering ten bowls and Ino ordering one.

"Naruto!" Ayame screamed at him and she hugged the younger boy to her chest. Naruto felt his breath leave him at the strength of the hug. "Where have you beeeen~?" Naruto grinned as she pulled back. "Just getting used to the new living situation, plus she's been forcing me to eat healthier. Ayame nodded. "Okay." She then turned to Ino with a smirk. "Kicking your boyfriend into shape?" Ino almost spat out her mouthful of noodles and her face flushed red. Naruto went to tell Ayame that they were just friends but Ino nodded hastily.

Naruto gave her a confused look but shrugged. "Yeah, she really has been working me to the bone, I'm always sore now, I love it." Ayame blushed and Ino almost passed out. "Yeah, the reps she has me do, taking off my shirt, making me sit up." Ino felt a bit of blood come out of her nose and Ayame turned away with a heavy blush on her face. "It's torture, she always watches me but never joins in."

"Naruto shut up!" Ino yelled and Naruto smirked at her. "What are you going to do about it? Make it harder?" Ino growled at him and he turned back to Ayame who was a mess. "Where's teuchi by the way?" Naruto asked and Ayame recovered quickly. "He went to meet the ambassador to get the ingredients. Now that I think about it… he seems to be a little later than usual. Say, could you do me a favor and go check on him, he should be on his way back or outside the gate where he meets the ambassador." Naruto nodded. "Yeah! C'mon Ino!" He yelled, noticing she was done finally, he had finished his noodles before the competition had started.

She followed him toward the gate of the village, he had assumed that it was the main gate, he realized that Teuchi was nowhere to be seen. Naruto frowned and narrowed his eyes, looking around. He sniffed the air and his eyes widened. He ran to the side and picked up a chefs hat… more importantly, Teuchi's hat. Naruto growled as he spotted footsteps through the nearby woods and he sped off with Ino barely able to keep up with him. Naruto landed on a tree branch with Ino landing next to him four seconds later. He looked down and there was a large carriage.

Outside the carriage was a group of genin, rock genin. Naruto frowned, genin this far out? Did that mean that they were on a C-Rank mission? Maybe… but that also meant that there was a jonin around too right. Naruto's eyes widened and he turned, grabbing Ino by the waist and jumped back through the stood a man with a kunai in his hand and a brown best. He was the jonin. "Naruto what's going on!?" Ino yelled and Naruto growled. "He is on a mission with his team to abduct Teuchi." Naruto deducted. Why though? Why would they want to?

Naruto withdrew a kunai of his own, surprising Ino. "You aren't even a genin boy, leave right now and I'll spare you two." Naruto glared at him and whispered. "Ino, go alert Hokage-sama." Ino slowly nodded and Naruto glared darker at the man. Naruto dashed at him and the man jumped back. "Wait!" He yelled and Naruto went to stab him but he spun around the slash. "C'mon kid, there are four of us and only… you." The jonin looked around, Ino was gone. His eyes widened. "You three, go after the girl!" Naruto's glare deepened, they weren't that far from the village but Ino wasn't very fast. "Why are you abducting old man Teuchi!?" Naruto yelled at him and the jonin glared back. "Because 'Old man Teuchi' is a missing nin of Iwagakure." Naruto's eyes widened but he glared again.

He didn't know much about the elderly man but he knew that it was very possible with the speed of the elderly man, the rate at which he could make ramen was off the charts. "Okay… so now we have to fight right?" The man disappeared, reappearing behind Naruto to answer his question. Naruto turned around and his eyes widened. The older shinobi now had a blade that look similar to a katana but thicker in his hands. Naruto raised his kunai but the downward swing was much too powerful for his younger arms to handle.

He was thrown back, his feet coming off the ground and allowing himself to roll on his back. "Whoa…" He muttered and Naruto's eyes widened when he was surrounded by a large dome made of earth. He felt his chakra begin to slip away. He frowned and punched the roof with all the force he could muster, effectively cracking it but not destroying it. He pulled back his hand, wincing, His knuckles were bloody and torn. Naruto growled and punched it again, effectively making a hole before kicking it in the same spot,letting himself out. He landed on top, breathing heavy. He stared at the Jonin who shrugged and appeared beside Naruto, swinging at him with his sword but Naruto leaned back, allowing it to pass by in front of him before effectively kicking the Jonin in the gut, sending him sliding back on his feet, off of the dome.

Naruto crossed him fingers.

 _Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

Naruto yelled and the area was filled with a hundred of himself that all jumped down toward the jonin but he weaved through hand seals.

 _Earth Style: Earth Wall!_

Naruto's clones impacted with the top of a newly formed wall but Naruto used his new speed to appear behind the jonin, stabbing at him with the kunai. Naruto effectively stabbed him and the man groaned in pain before crumbling to dust. Naruto's eyes widened and he jumped back as a hail of rock shuriken flew at him. Naruto grabbed a branch with his hands and he pulled himself up, jumping off toward another tree. The jonin met him half way and punched Naruto in the gut. Naruto coughed up blood and he flew back. He had a new large black bruise on his chest. The jonin's fist was covered in rock.

Naruto impacted to the same previous tree bending around the branch, falling toward the ground, he impacted with an "Oof". Naruto rolled to his feet, avoiding a kunai and he jumped at the jonin with a kunai of his own, The jonin grabbed him by the wrist and bent his arm awkwardly behind his back. Naruto groaned in pain and his face hit the floor. "Sorry kid, you show a lot of talent but you are years too early to be fighting jonin like myself, this is your last chance to flee or I will take your life. Naruto glared at him.

"Never! I will never turn my back on a friend." The man sighed and he raised his fist. He brought it down toward Naruto's face but his eyes widened when his genin came back into the clearing, carrying an unconscious Ino. "INO!" Naruto yelled and the man grinned at his genin. "Good job guys." The one carrying Ino walked over to their sensei and dropped the body onto a patch of grass, he then turned to his sensei and a swift motion, stabbed the man in the stomach with a kunai. Naruto's eyes widened and he realized something, Ino had taken over the boy's body.

"Shay!? What the hell, why did you stab me?" He asked and he stumbled back, falling onto his back, blood leaking out of his mouth. Naruto grinned and he stood. "Might as well return to your body Ino." He said and she nodded. She felt bad for stabbing somebody, and to trick him with somebody he cared about was messed up but she was a kunoichi (Potentially), death and deception were part of her job. (Future Job.)

Ino released her jutsu and the boy she was controlling collapsed, Naruto stomped on his head, making sure he was out cold. He then turned to the now guarded genin and he unsheathed a kunai with a wince, his chest hurt but he was sure he could take these two on. The first one rushed at him with a kunai in hand, throwing a shuriken to distract Naruto. Naruto ducked under a horizontal slash and Naruto spun, sweeping the kids legs out from underneath him. Naruto didn't have any form of fighting but the instinct to fight was built inside of him, burning, letting him know what to do. Naruto swept the boy's legs and the other one jumped down at Naruto. Naruto was a bit caught off guard but he moved back a but and stopped a hand with his forearm.

Naruto felt the ground soften under him and saw that the other one was using a jutsu to soften the ground to the point to allow his feet to sink in but Naruto rolled back, not putting any force on the soft ground. He kicked up, placing a kick under one of their chins before spinning and ducking under a kunai stab before lurching up, uppercutting the other under his chin. The one he uppercutted flew through the air, landing on his head and falling unconscious while the one Naruto kicked managed to get a blow off on Naruto which was a stab to Naruto's shoulder. Naruto groaned in pain and punched the boy in the face. The boy stumbled back before rushing back in and kneeing Naruto in the gut, causing him to hunch over.

Naruto was then thrown back by a volley of punches. The genin went to continue his assault but he found himself unable to do so. His eyes widened and Naruto grinned. Ino was breathing heavy with her hands in front of her but she was holding her hands in a Nara clan seal. Apparently, because of her close relationship with the Nara clan, she knew the Shadow Possession Jutsu. She was by _no_ means good at it and it took almost all of her chakra to do but she had pulled it off nonetheless. She sighed as Naruto punched him in the side of the head, rendering him unconscious. "That was awesome Ino!" Naruto yelled and he turned his attention to the carriage.

The door opened to reveal a short man with black hair. "What the-?" Naruto had moved lightning fast, this was the client. He appeared behind the man and kicked him in the back of the head. The man fell unconscious and Naruto looked into the carriage. "Good." He muttered, Teuchi was just unconscious. "Okay Ino, let's get him to the tower." Ino nodded and she went to help the man up but Naruto's eyes widened, they were surrounded by Anbu and the Hokage himself. "Old man?" Naruto asked and the elderly man smiled at him. "Yes Naruto, It's me." Naruto grinned. "Did you see me through the crystal ball!? Was I awesome!?" The hokage nodded. "You were amazing Naruto, I shall take over from here, I'll have an Anbu take you to the hospital so that you can receive medical care." Naruto nodded.

"Neko, take them." An Anbu with long purple hair nodded and grabbed each of their hands, shunshinning. The were almost instantly at the hospital. "Take care of yourselves from now on, Nurse, help these two, Hokage's orders." The Anbu said and they nodded. The nurse came and lead them to a room where Naruto would begin to heal and Ino would be replenished on chakra slightly. Naruto grinned at the nurse as she began to heal him. He was glad that he had taken off his jacket at Ichiraku and forgot to bring it or else it would be ruined. "So do you only work here on tuesdays?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No, I work almost every day." Naruto frowned. "Really? I'm here a _lot_ and I haven't seen you before." She shrugged. "I may just not be your assigned nurse." Naruto nodded. She was healing him much faster than anyone had before. "Wow that's healing fast." He said and she nodded. "Medical ninjutsu helps a lot." Ino looked at her and blushed. "Could you teach me some?" Ino asked, looking away and the nurse grinned. "Of course." Ino grinned as well and resisted the urge to cheer.

"You should both be fine by graduation, take tomorrow off and…" She looked at Ino. "Ino." She nodded. "Ino, come here whenever you get the chance after graduation." Ino nodded hastily. "Okay, well now you are free to go and rest up for the exams, good luck." They nodded.

* * *

- **Wha-oh! Review/Follow/Favorite-**


	3. S1 Ch3: NarSasIno Formation!

**Welcome back to my story chapter thingy… ah whatever. Anyway, I was amazed that this story already has over 150 followers. I appreciate the support, I'll make sure to take reviews into consideration. I** _ **just**_ **noticed that I had put 'Naruko' in the first chapter, I'm just gonna leave it like that. I was just used to writing Naruko. READ**

 **Chapter Three: NarSasIno Formation!**

* * *

Naruto gasped as he woke up, today is the day. Naruto grinned and got ready for the day. He made a small breakfast for him and Ino so that they weren't starving all day. Naruto grabbed her by the forearm carefully and they ran out of the building. "Come on!" He yelled, they were graduating, he wanted to be there with plenty of time to spare. "Naruto!" Ino yelled as he grabbed her and picked her up bridal style, jumping rooftop to rooftop. He landed in front of the academy with Ino and set her down. She went to punch him but he was already running in front of her, toward the door. She just sighed and walked after him.

Naruto charged into the class. "I'm here! Believe it!" He yelled and Sasuke snickered at him while Kiba just laughed loudly. "Shut up teme! Dog boy!" Naruto yelled and Sakura giggled. Naruto made his way to the back where he usually sat but he didn't sit down as it was absolutely surrounded by girls. He turned and spotted an empty seat, he gained a devious look in his eyes and he sat by Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes widened as they were swarmed by fangirls. "N-No!" Sasuke yelled and Naruto laughed. "Take that teme!" He yelled and he received a sudden punch to the back of his head from Ino. His face hit the desk and Sasuke snickered at him. His face then hit the desk too, much to the surprise of everybody in the class. "You are _both_ morons!" Ino yelled and Naruto began to laugh. Sasuke looked at her like she had grown a second head.

He just relented and turned to the front of the class, awaiting their chunin teacher. "Ok!" He heard and Iruka came in. "We will begin immediately. Starting in reverse alphabetical order." Ino's eyes widened. "Ino Yamanaka." Ino stood up and walked out of the room, into the testing room. "Do the clone jutsu please, three clones." Ino nodded and did as she was told with a burst of chakra. "Congratulations Ms. Yamanaka, you pass." Ino grinned and took her headband, running back into the class. "Haha!" She yelled, holding it up. "Next up, Naruto Uzumaki." Her eyes widened when Naruto got up with a bored expression. He made his way out of the room before coming back in a minute later with his headband around his forehead and a large grin.

"Alright!" He yelled. "Orientation is tomorrow." He said as he sat down and Ino nodded. "Yeah. I wonder who will end up on my team?" Naruto shrugged. "I have a sinking feeling that the teme is going to be on my team." Ino frowned at him. "Why?" He shrugged again. "Because I'm dead last and he is number one." Naruto said and her eyes widened, that made sense. "Good point. In that case…" Naruto patted her head. "I dunno Ino, you are the second best of the girls in the class, second to Hinata but she's a Hyuga so you can't really get mad about that." Ino nodded. "I guess."

The rest of the names were called and Naruto saw that literally everyone in their class had passed. After school Naruto and Ino went out to eat, getting some barbeque.

"What do you want to do today?" Ino asked after they finished eating. "I actually wanted to train a bit." Ino nodded, she needed to start training. "Ok, maybe I could join you this time." Naruto nodded with a grin. "I'd like that." They left toward the training ground.

Naruto decided that it would be a good to get in a small spar before they trained, as to know where Ino's abilities were at in terms of skill and power. "Ok Ino, you take the first move." Naruto said, getting into a position where he could dodge her attacks or send them back. "I didn't know you had a style Naruto?" Naruto shook his head. "I don't, this is just a basic stance to return blows." Ino nodded and got into her stance, hers was an altered version of the academy stance to make her blows quicker and more precise. It made up for her general lack of power. Naruto grinned and she ran at him.

She threw a quick jab that he caught and pushed her hand back, making her stumble back a bit. "Come at me with the intent to kill Ino." He said with a hardened look and she nodded. She punched harder this time and he dodged by slipping his head to the side. She then came back with an elbow to the back of his head which, albeit surprised him, was easy for him to dodge. He leaned forward and ducked, making her lose her balance and he grabbed her ankle, pulling. She fell on her back with a sharp breath. "Ok, well I can say that you are easily much better than Sakura, when it comes to Taijutsu, Hinata has you beat butt she has me beat in terms of raw talent for it as well."

She nodded. "Now we see how accurate you are." He said and he tossed her a kunai to which she caught it and he pointed at a tree. "Throw it mid center." Ino nodded and threw it, the kunai drifted to the right slightly and Naruto nodded. "I can see what the problem it, you are focusing too much on the throw and locking your elbow to throw it. You need to throw it in one fluid motion." He demonstrated, hitting the mid center of the tree.

"Do you know any ninjutsu?" Ino tapped her chin for a moment. Well you know that I already know the Shadow Possession, I also know expansion jutsu, I know my… clan jutsu, which is mind transfer jutsu. I also know a basic splash water jutsu." Naruto nodded. "That's really good, I guess the good relationship with Nara and Akimichi really come in handy huh?" She nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, I could totally kick foreheads ass!" Naruto grinned at her enthusiasm. "Have you worked on your chakra capacity at all?" She nodded. "A little bit… why?"

"Because I kind of want to teach you the 'Shadow Clone Jutsu' It's just that they take a _lot_ of chakra to make at least four." She frowned. "Shadow Clone? What's that?" He crossed his fingers and a single clone popped into existence. "This one is solid and you gain the knowledge/experience back after you kill it." Ino nodded, a little caught off guard by his ability to create shadow clones. "I just showed you the hand sign but it requires a lot of chakra so try it, pour as much chakra as you can muster into it." She nodded and crossed her fingers.

 _Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

She yelled and two of herself popped into existence. Naruto smirked. "How much chakra do you have left?" She frowned and closed her eyes. "Enough to make a couple more." He nodded. "Well, let's start them on some chakra control exercises. You and I will be working physically." She nodded.

The next four hours were dedicated to training, Naruto pushed her to her limits on every exercise he had her do. He even suggested that they get weights. She agreed with him, albeit not being naturally strong, Ino knew that with right amount of hard work, anything was possible. After the training session Naruto took her to the store where he usually bought any ninja supplies that they would sell him. They both got a set of chakra weights, thankfully they were allowed for civilians.

Naruto was in a great mood and Ino was physically beat. Naruto helped her a bit to get home, assuring her that it would be much better after the first couple of sessions. Ino immediately laid down, and Naruto took it upon himself to make something for them to eat. He made a small dinner and they ate before doing their nightly routine and going to bed.

* * *

 **-The Next Morning (The Day of Orientation)-**

Naruto sprung off of the couch with a grin and his eyes widened, the smell of breakfast hit his nostrils. "Yo what's cookin?" He asked, fishing his clothes out of the bag next to him. "Just some eggs and bacon, you want pancakes?" Naruto smirked. "Wife material!" He yelled and unknown to him, her face turned the shade of a tomato. "I would love some!" She nodded silently.

Naruto went into the shower and got dressed afterward. He walked into the kitchen and his eyes widened, she looked awful. "Hey… are you ok? You look like you didn't get any sleep last night." He said and she shook her head. "No Naruto… I keep having nightmares about my family… about what the guy said. He said that 'Lord Orochimaru' wanted my family dead…" Naruto frowned. "Lord Orochimaru huh? Like the snake sannin Orochimaru?" She nodded. "Hmm… that man was said to be a genius, so if he did that he must have done it for a benefit…" He tapped his chin.

"What could he possibly gain from that?" She asked and Naruto looked down. "I dunno Ino…" She looked down too but put up a small smile afterward. "H-hey, let's eat ok?" He nodded and gave a heartwarming grin. "Of course." Naruto sat at the table with her and ate in silence.

Ino was already ready for the day, so they departed afterward. "Hey if you want I can carry you Ino, I know you must be tired, you can get a bit of sleep, we still have time so I'll take the long way." She seemed to contemplate it for a moment. "Ok Naruto." Naruto got into a kneeling position and let her get on his back, walking afterward. "Ok…" He muttered, looking around. She fell asleep on his back quickly, leaving him to his thoughts.

Naruto walked through the forest that goes from the back of their new house to the academy. She occasionally mumbled something about Sakura having a big forehead or Naruto being a 'Baka' but he thought it was adorable. The forest was calm and serene, relaxing his nerves. He arrived behind the academy after forty five minutes and he let her down after shaking her lightly, waking her up. "We're here Ino." He said and she nodded, walking with him into the academy slowly.

They sat in empty seats that weren't next to each other because there wasn't a set of empty seats for them to sit in. Naruto waited, they were early but not too early. Naruto set his head down in his arms, ready to take a small nap and he spotted an already sleeping Ino. He sat up and sighed, smiling at her peaceful face. He waited for awhile and just listened to others talk, not even bothering to listen in to their conversations.

Soon Iruka walked in and Naruto pegged the back of Ino's head with a paper ball, waking her up with a groan and a glare at Naruto to which he grinned at. "Ok so starting from the bottom…" He said, going through teams 1-6. Naruto was a little surprised that none of the people he knew by name had been called but then again, the ones that were called were 'Extras'. Iruka grinned at the board in his hand and Naruto got a confused look on his face but when Iruka began speaking, his eyes widened. "Team Seven."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto grinned. 'Finally!' Naruto awaited the next name with a constant grin. "Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto's grin immediately faded but it was replaced by a knowing smile. He knew that Sasuke was an excellent ninja and if he got friendly with Sasuke, they could make a great team. "After some serious consideration and a favor from Kakashi Hatake, which is your jonin, we have decided to place Ino Yamanaka on your team." Naruto's eyes widened to dinner plates and the grin returned to his face. Ino felt Sakura glaring at her back and she smirked, she was happy to outdo 'forehead/billboard brow'.

"Yatta!" Naruto yelled and Ino grinned. Sasuke looked back at him with a curious look and a sigh. 'I know the dobe is stronger than he lets on, and I have a feeling that these two train together… I think that I actually got the good end of the deal, despite his intolerable personality and attitude.' Sasuke thought and Naruto even grinned at him. Sasuke nodded at him and they rearranged the seats so that team seven could sit together.

"Team Eight." Naruto looked at Iruka. "Hinata Hyuga, Choji Akimichi, Shino Aburame." Naruto grinned, so they completely dissolved 'Inoshikacho.' Hinata was a good sensor and Taijutsu specialist, so she could be great for close combat, Shino was tactful and observant, constantly surprising Naruto, Choji was a great friend and a potentially great teammate, he was physically powerful and he could cover their small amount of weaknesses.

"Team Nine is already active." He said and Naruto nodded to himself. "Team Ten, Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka." Naruto nodded, a genius when it came to strategy, a great trap specialist, and a powerhouse, that was pretty well thought out, plus Kiba made a good sensor with his dog-like senses.

Naruto just tuned out the rest of the teams as they were all 'Extras'. The day went by quickly.

Now Naruto, Ino, and Sasuke sat in the classroom, being the last ones there, awaiting their jonin sensei. Naruto was leaned back in his chair, deep in thought and Ino was asleep, Sasuke just sat there with his chin resting on his folded hands. They had been there for two hours after everybody else, allowing Ino to get a minimum of seven hours sleep. After all of the teams were assigned, they had taken pictures one at a time, taking three hours to finish, allowing Ino the much needed sleep.

Naruto's eyes widened and he sat up as distant footsteps caught his ears. The door slid open, revealing a man with spiky silver hair. "Yo." Was all he said and Naruto grinned. "Yo." He said back and Sasuke just nodded with his head. Naruto tapped Ino on the shoulder and her eyes widened at the sight of their sensei.

"My first impression… I don't mind you." Naruto nodded and Ino grinned. Sasuke just smirked and Kakashi turned around. "While I don't particularly mind the classroom, I feel like the rooftop is a much better place to talk, meet me there in five minutes." He said and they nodded. Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke and Naruto looked at Ino and Sasuke, shrugging. He got up, already walking out. Ino and Sasuke followed after him and they made it to the roof with three minutes to spare. "Over here." They heard Kakashi's voice at the edge of the building and they made their way to him.

"Any idea why I brought you here?" Kakashi asked and Naruto raised his hand. "A better view?" Kakashi shook his head.

"While that is part of it, I want to make things clear and share a bit about myself with you." Naruto nodded, as did the other two. "Sit down, I will introduce myself and you follow my lead." They did as they were told.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, I am twenty six years old (Don't quote me on that). I myself was a part of team seven when I was younger, my sensei was none other than lord fourth himself." Naruto's eyes widened and heard Ino mutter a 'wow.' Kakashi continued. "I enjoy reading and sparing with my rival, which while a bit over the top, is a nice _Guy_. I dislike those who abandon their comrades and while I don't have any particular goals at the moment, I live by the saying. 'Those that disobey orders are scum, but those who abandon their allies are worse than scum.'"

Naruto nodded. "I guess I'll go next." He said and he readjusted his headband before beginning.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I enjoy ramen." Ino grunted at that. "I enjoy the company of my friends." Kakashi nodded. "I like to study seals in my free time, and I train on a constant basis." He said and Ino nodded, as if confirming that. "I dislike those that take what they have for granted and talk about things they know nothing about, I hate people who have no sympathy for others, and I hate those that don't support their comrades." Kakashi smirked under his mask. "I'm currently twelve years old, turning thirteen soon." Kakashi frowned under his mask at that, he knew how much the boy was mistreated on his birthday. "I have two solid beliefs. The first one is that I will _never_ go back on my word, the second is that I _never_ give up! When I'm knocked down, unless I'm dead or unconscious, unless you break every bone in my body, I will stand up again." Sasuke even smiled at that one. "And my goal? My goal is to be the greatest hokage! Surpassing all of those that came before me!" Kakashi grinned under his mask and gave Naruto an eye smile.

"Next, Yamanaka." Ino nodded and took a deep breath, thinking about what to say for a second.

"My name is Ino Yamanaka, I am twelve, actually just two and a half weeks younger than blondie." Naruto grinned. "I like flowers, spending time with my friends, and training to become a great kunoichi." Kakashi nodded. "I dislike those that have barely if any regard for those that care about them, traitors, idiots… although there is one exception to that, loud people… again I have an exception, and bright colors… man…" She muttered the last part and Naruto snickered. "I live by the saying that Naruto has imprinted into my head over the last… whatever… which is that I never go back on my word. As for my goals for the future?" She tapped her chin for a moment. "I have two, I want to be a great kunoichi, to surpass even Tsunade of the sannin, and I want the opportunity to train a child of my own one day to inherit my ideals and abilities." Kakashi grinned under his mask again, his students were promising so far.

"You're last Uchiha." Sasuke nodded offhandedly.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I'm thirteen." Kakashi nodded and Sasuke continued. "I like two things. The first is tomatoes, the second is silence." Kakashi wanted to laugh at the boy but he bit his tongue. "I _hate_ a lot of things and I would like to destroy a number of them." His mind drifted to a pink haired fangirl and he shuddered. "My saying… is that I will push myself beyond my limits at all times." Kakashi shook his head with a small smile. "My goal isn't a goal, but an inevitability, I will without a doubt murder… my brother." Kakashi nodded. "And I will restore the Uchiha clan."

Kakashi sighed and he turned, looking at the monument. "Tomorrow, I would like for you guys to meet me at training ground seven, come at five A.M. I wouldn't eat breakfast, unless you want to barf it up." He said. "Also, If I were you, I would discuss your strengths and weaknesses with your teammates." They all nodded and Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"So I guess that I'll start…" Naruto said and he turned to the other two. "With my clones I have a wide variety of strategies that I could use, from an all out attack to a barrage of shuriken, or a trap. My genjutsu is okay, but not great enough to use against a jonin yet. My accuracy is easily excellent, my taijutsu… if you could call it that, is okay when it comes to reaction speed but it lacks _any_ form. I know a mid-level wind jutsu which is 'Air Bullet' and I can use is pretty efficiently. I have power behind my punches and I've been looking into kenjutsu or swordplay. I'm a bit slow but I'm working on that with Ino, I bought weights yesterday."

Sasuke absorbed the information and nodded.

"I have great form in Taijutsu, my reaction speed is fast but I lack the power to follow through with it, my punches have a shortage of power which, while is useful in the academy where it doesn't matter, may be ineffective against other shinobi. My genjutsu is lackluster and my ninjutsu is great. I know three fire jutsu, being 'Fireball Jutsu', 'Phoenix Flower Jutsu', and 'Dragon Flame Jutsu', however the last one takes a massive amount of my chakra reserve."

Naruto and Ino nodded.

"I have decent taijutsu and I am fast but my punches lack power, I am pretty good at genjutsu and I know a couple, I have the basic academy jutsu, the shadow possession, mind transfer, expansion, and shadow clones, I also know a basic soaking jutsu, called 'Water Jutsu'. I have an above average chakra reserve because I have trained to increase it before, I am working on my speed and power with Naruto."

With all of their strengths and weaknesses out of the way, they decided to head home.

Naruto wanted to make a quick stop beforehand though and Ino decided to go with him, they ended up at the store where he could buy ninja equipment. He ended up getting some ninja plated gloves similar to Kakashi's only they were a dark red. He swapped his orange short sleeve jacket with a deep red one that had a black Konoha swirl on the back. His pants remained the black shinobi ones with his weapon pouch on his side and he got some black shinobi sandals to match. He also decided to buy a couple of scrolls and a sheathed ninja sword that he would have to train with before using it properly.

Ino decided to change up her look as well, to fit a more shinobi like style. She got a black jacket similar to Naruto's and decided on a grey ninja shirt to go under. She covered her bottom half with grey kunoichi pants and decided on black shinobi sandals. After some thought she had her headband modified to go around her waist as a belt. She ended up getting some grey plated gloves like Naruto's and they went home, glad that they had inheritance.

Naruto and Ino put the weights on their wrists and ankles, channeling chakra into them until they could barely walk up the stairs. Then they made their way to the training ground to see if they could get used to it. The trained for a long time, six hours this time, Ino seemed to have a new determination that Naruto assumed came with being a ninja. When they returned home Naruto made some fish and they went to bed.

* * *

 **-Next Morning-**

Naruto woke up with the blurring of his alarm, going into the kitchen to get some food, not heeding Kakashi's words. Ino joined him a moment later and they had a normal breakfast, taking turns in the shower. Naruto got dressed in his new outfit and Ino did as well, they made their way to the training ground with a couple minutes to spare. Sasuke was already there.

"Yo Teme." Naruto said and Sasuke groaned. "What dobe?" Naruto grinned.

"I was just curious if you figured out what we were doing here." Sasuke shook his head and Naruto shrugged, sitting down, ready to get some sleep because their sensei was probably going to be late.

Three hours past before Kakashi landed in the clearing. "Yo." Was all he said and Naruto grinned at him. Sasuke glared and Ino gave him a nonchalant look. "So, today I have gathered you all here for an official test, you see? That little genin test was only to ward out the complete morons, with no potential to be a ninja." Naruto frowned but nodded. "You are going to get these bells." He held them up. "Anything it permitted and those with a bell with be taken in as my pupil." Naruto glared. "But there's only two of them." Kakashi nodded. "That means that one of you will be sent back to the academy."

"Bullshit!" Naruto yelled and Kakashi sighed. "You have until noon, begin!"

The three of them jumped away, leaving Kakashi to wonder who was going to attack first.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Ino sat in a tree next to each other whispering. "This doesn't make any fucking sense…" Naruto muttered and Ino agreed with him.

"It's almost like he is pitting us against each other… but why would he do that?" Ino asked aloud and Sasuke seemed deep in though.

'If I don't get a bell, I might not ever be able to kill Itachi.'

'If he's pitting us against each other then why did he give us that bogus speech yesterday about never abandoning your allies?' Naruto questioned in his mind, racking his brain but then his eyes widened and a grin spread across his face. "I figured it out." He said and he pulled out a kunai. "He wants us to use teamwork to get the bells, if we work together to get the bells, then technically we all got the bells right?"

Ino's eyes widened. "That makes sense but what's the plan?" She asked and Naruto looked at Sasuke. "C'mon teme, you're supposed to be smart, come up with a plan." Sasuke nodded, not caring about the insult. He began to think, closing his eyes, taking in the layout of the battlefield.

"Naruto, you said that you could create lots of clones right?" Naruto nodded. "Well then here's what we do-

* * *

 **-Kakashi-**

Kakashi stood in the middle of the clearing with a blank look on his face. He looked around, spotting two of them rather easily. He couldn't spot Naruto however. "Yo." Naruto said and Kakashi's eyes widened. Naruto stood behind him with two bells in his hand. Kakashi's turned into saucers. "What!? How?" Naruto grinned and tossed them to him. Kakashi reached to catch them but they burst into smoke and Kakashi was tackled by two clones. Kakashi smirked and he went to throw the clones off but he found himself only able to dodge a fireball storm that headed toward him.

He managed to avoid the jutsu and he turned, catching Naruto's fist. Naruto smirked and Kakashi turned around, kicking a Naruto in the face. The Naruto burst into smoke and Kakashi turned back to the original, punching him in the stomach, only for him to burst into smoke as well, replaced with a log that had explosive tags on it. Kakashi jumped back and the explosion erupted. Kakashi went to turn around and intercept Naruto, managing to catch a sloppy kick but it pushed him back. Kakashi pushed his leg back and threw a roundhouse kick that connected with Naruto's abdomen, sending him back.

Kakashi dodged a volley of shuriken that came from the treeline and he spun, sweeping Sasuke's legs out from under him. Kakashi then bent his arm around his back, pinning him to the floor with a kunai to his neck. "What will you do now Naruto, there are many situations like this when you are in a battle with enemy ninja, how would you respond to it?" Naruto just smirked and pointed behind Kakashi but Kakashi couldn't turn his head to look. He was stuck in a 'Shadow Possession Jutsu', courtesy of a silent and heavy breathing Ino.

Kakashi cursed himself for dropping his guard and praised his genin for their teamwork. Kakashi was forced to reach down and grab the bells before throwing them to Naruto. Naruto caught them and they grinned at Kakashi who frowned, not liking the fact that he was beaten. "We win sensei, we figured out that the goal was teamwork and we decided to attack you as a team, as a matter of fact." The Sasuke under Kakashi turned into Naruto before bursting into smoke, letting Kakashi fall a bit. Sasuke came out of the treeline with a smirk.

"Well congratulations, but who gets the bells?"

Naruto grinned. "Well technically all three of us do because we worked together to get them." Kakashi nodded with an eye smile.

"Good job guys." He said and he walked over to Naruto. "You all pass." Naruto cheered.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled and he pumped his fist into the air. Ino sighed in relief and Sasuke had an ever present smirk.

"Who's hungry?" Kakashi asked and Naruto raised his hand, Ino followed soon after and Sasuke hesitantly raised his hand. "Ok, let's go get some barbecue, my treat."

They agreed but before they left, Kakashi set up a small camera and they huddled together, taking a picture.

Naruto was in the middle, holding out his fist with a grin and Ino was standing to his left with a smile and her hands behind her head. Sasuke had his hands in his pockets with a small curve of his lips, not looking at the camera. Kakashi was behind them with a hand on Ino's head and a hand on Sasuke's head, his eye smile was blatantly obvious and if you looked closely you could see a bit of a smile behind his mask.

After the picture they left to go get food.

Naruto and Ino returned to their humble abode at the end of the meal before going to train for another six hours. They ended the day on a high note and went to bed, ready for the next day where they would meet Kakashi for their first mission which was most likely going to be more like a chore but a mission nonetheless.

* * *

 **-Thanks for reading this chapter! Review and tell me what you think! Follow and Favorite if you like the story so far! I appreciate the support, stop on for the next chapter! Bubye!**


	4. S1 Ch4: C-Rank Mission, Mother Dearest

**Ch 4: A C-Rank Mission and Mother Dearest**

* * *

It had been two months since they had completed the test and they had done at least fifty D-Rank missions. Ino found herself growing attached to the team, it was like a new family. Naruto and Sasuke always argued and she loved both of them, one she loved more like a brother and the other she loved in a romantic way. She convinced herself that it was Sasuke but not even she could deny that it was Naruto, Sasuke had become like a brother to her due to the fact that both of their clans were exterminated, conversation came rather easily.

Ino still had one family member in the village but he worked for Danzo and she hadn't seen him in a while. Ino was growing more and more attached to Naruto himself as well, asking him where he was going if he was leaving or asking if she could accompany him. He never turned her down, not even once, not even when it was something stupid like going out for air. She knew that he loved her and he would do anything for her, he made that blatantly clear the first month after they got their team.

* * *

 **-Flashback-**

Naruto trudged through the streets with his hands in his pockets, he had just increased the weight of his chakra weights and it was weighing him down. He smirked as his shared house with Ino came into view. He walked across, opening the door and walking in.

He heard sobbing and his eyes instantly softened, knowing it was Ino crying about her family, he decreased the weight of his chakra weights so that he could be fast and he ran to her door, knocking on it. He heard a gasp and a quick 'c-come in.' He knew she would let him comfort her, she always did. Despite Naruto being on the uh… slow side, when it came to being school smarts anyway, he always tried his best to reason with her and pull her out of her slump.

Naruto came in, instantly recognizing her tear stained eyes and disheveled hair. "Hey." He said softly. Ino smiled kindly at him but he could see the sadness behind the smile. "Hey…" She muttered and he sat on the bed next to her. "You ok?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "No…" She muttered and he nodded. "Wanna talk about it?" Ino sighed, she really didn't. "No." He shrugged. "Ok." He said and he laid next to her sitting form, smiling reassuringly and kindly at her.

They were just there in silence for a while before Ino spoke up. "Naruto… why do you go out of your way to help me?" Naruto grinned and she found a small blush coming to her cheeks. He closed his eyes and laid his hands behind his head.

"Because I love you." He said and her eyes widened. "B-But what about forehead?" Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, raising his hand into his vision. "Actually, the only reason I used to pester her for a date when we were younger is because she actually paid attention to me when I talked, it didn't matter that it was negative attention to me… it was attention all the same." Ino remembered how badly Sakura used to reject Naruto, physically and verbally. "The village used to treat me like I didn't exist unless it was october tenth, which was worse because they would get into mobs and beat me within an inch of my life because of my 'tenant'." Ino's eyes filled with tears.

"It was more like… the desire for attention, when she would turn me down so loudly, I got attention from everyone in the class." He said and she nodded. That was true, when Sakura turned him down, he was the main thing that the class would talk about that day.

"Naruto…" Ino muttered and he grinned at her. "It's fine… I wouldn't trade my life for the one that I have…" He muttered, lightly grasping her hand. "I mean, I met you after all." He said and she just stared at him for a moment. She unconsciously felt herself leaning in for a kiss and her mother's face flashed through her mind. "No!" She yelled and she jumped out of the bed, away from him. She pulled on her jacket and ran out of the house.

Naruto's hurt look present on her mind, her heart aching, she wouldn't let anybody get close to her… it hurt too much, Naruto was a constant reminder of what happened to her family.

Naruto wanted to run after her but all he could do was reach out toward the door with sad eyes. He stood up and made his way out of the building to go blow off some steam.

* * *

 **-Flashback End-**

Ino sighed as she made her way to the hokage tower, while she had been clingy to Naruto, Naruto seemed mentally distant, as if he was hesitant to share his thoughts with her, like he was scared of her opinion. It hurt her to see her… friend… be that scared to share his thoughts and feeling with her. He had become more reserved, he had stopped asking her out once a week and instead opted to go to sleep when he got home.

Their training was silent and awkward, not really having anything to say to each other.

She spotted her team and as always, Sasuke and Kakashi were conversing while Naruto just sat to the side of them with a blank look on his face. Kakashi had taken notice of his behavior immediately but he decided that his students needed to handle this on their own, it hadn't effected their teamwork as far as he had known.

"I have good news you three. We got a C-Rank mission. We are escorting a bridge builder to the land of waves." Naruto nodded and he went to pack for a C-Rank mission, leaving the three of them to go over the details of the mission. Ino went home and told him when they were meeting which was the next morning and Naruto nodded, not offering a word to his teammate.

He went into the kitchen and cooked them food before shoveling it down and going to sleep on the couch, leaving her to eat by herself.

The next morning they made their way to the village main gate, meeting up with Kakashi, Sasuke, and an elderly drunk named Tazuna who was a master bridge builder that needed to be escorted home.

Tazuna was going to remark about the weak looking team but he decided against it when he saw the hidden aggression in Naruto's eyes. Over the time that he had been alive, he learned to read people and he could tell that Naruto was seeking to crush somebody, to get out his pent up aggression.

They left and the team(Minus Naruto) talked quietly, Naruto took notice of a puddle… on a summer day when it hasn't rained in weeks. He stopped for a moment, walking over to it, staring at it. "Really?" He asked and he was answered by a clawed hand shooting up at him. Naruto stepped back and a man flew out of the puddle and past him. Naruto turned to the man and his team watched from a distance as Naruto was surrounded by two chunin level ninja was claw like devices on their hands.

Naruto had a look on his face that was serious but lacking any concern. "Let's go!" One of them yelled and both of them rushed at Naruto. Naruto ducked under a claw, grabbing the one that attacked him by the gauntlet on his wrist. Naruto then turned and swept the legs out from under the other one. He fell on his back and Naruto stomped on his face. "Bro!" The one Naruto was holding yelled. Naruto bent his arm awkwardly behind his back before jerking it painfully, effectively pulling it out of the socket and causing the boy to yell out in pain. Naruto then pushed the back of his head, slamming it into the floor with an audible crack.

"Ok…" Kakashi muttered. "I was about to let them attack and see who they were after but it seems you had another plan. I didn't expect that kind of brutality from you Naruto, calm down." He said, noticing the boy was satisfied with his work. "That wasn't necessary Naruto. You could have subdued them with ease." Naruto turned with a sneer toward Kakashi, walking past him. Kakashi sighed and they walked away from the two brothers.

Naruto was being even more distant than before, only replying with grunts. He was like Sasuke used to be. Naruto, despite being angry, was keeping a close watch on the stuff around him because it was likely that they were after the bridge builder and that if someone had sent them, that they were likely to send someone stronger next time, likely jonin level next time. Naruto's ear twitched as he heard silent breathing. He blasted toward the treeline with a kunai drawn and he engaged a boy with a mask in taijutsu. "What!?" Kakashi yelled, he hadn't even sensed him.

"Get down!" Kakashi yelled and the team complied with Sasuke pushing Tazuna down. A massive sword flew over their heads and imbedded in a tree. A man landed on it with a glare directed at Kakashi. "Kakashi of the Sharingan." The man said. "Zabuza, the demon of the hidden mist." Kakashi muttered, he didn't have time to worry about Naruto, he had to deal with Zabuza. Kakashi pulled up his headband, revelang a sharingan. "Oh I'm flattered." Zabuza said and Kakashi frowned.

* * *

 **-Naruto-**

Naruto had caught the masked boy off guard, crashing his fist into his face, making the boy tumbled back into another clearing. "That's quite the sensing ability you have." The boy muttered as he stood up. Naruto glared at him. Naruto got into his taijutsu stance, his hands crossed in front of him in claw like form. (Think when Naruto first awakened Kyuubi during his fight with Sasuke.)

The boy weaved through hand seals.

 _Water Style: Raging Torrent!_

A wave of water rose from behind her and rushed toward Naruto who easily got out of the way with a burst of speed, appearing in the treeline. Naruto blasted toward the boy and he pulled out a senbon. Naruto punched at him and the boy slipped to the left, spinning, attending to stab him with the senbon but Naruto ducked and came up with an uppercut. The boy was thrown back, landing on his back before standing up. He held up one hand.

 _Hidden Jutsu: One Thousand Needles of Death!_

Naruto was surrounded by a thousand needles made of ice and before they could connect he jumped into the air, avoiding them and he weaved through hand seals. His cheeks grew large and he roared.

 _Wind Style: Air Bullet!_

A large ball of wind shot toward the masked boy and he slipped to the side, avoiding it but he stumbled a bit as it caused a quake in the ground. Naruto took advantage of this, rushing at him, ready to punch him in the face and remove his mask. The boy surprised Naruto by rolling toward him awkwardly and Naruto tripped over him, landing on his hands and flipping to his feet. Naruto stopped for a moment and stared at the boy who had his hands up with his fingers crossed.

"I'm sorry. I can't afford to hold back in this fight anymore." The boy said and Naruto nodded.

 _Secret Jutsu: Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors!_

* * *

 **-Kakashi-**

Kakashi was kicked in the face by Zabuza and sent soaring over the water. He landed in it, intending to hide in the water but his eyes widened, feeling the chakra it had in it. "Gotcha." Zabuza said.

 _Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!_

Kakashi was trapped in a sphere of water that was as solid as steel, unable to move. Sasuke glared at Zabuza and Ino stayed in front of the bridge builder. "Tazuna, I need you to go hide in the trees." Ino said and Tazuna nodded, running into the forest. Ino then stood next to Sasuke. "Any ideas?" Ino asked and Sasuke shook his head.

Zabuza held up his hand and a copy of himself formed out of the water. "You guys are screwed, not only are you fighting a jonin but your friend is fighting Haku, a kid I trained myself. There is no way you are going to be able to beat me." Ino glared at him.

"Why are you attacking us!?" She yelled and Zabuza laughed. "Well actually, I was hired to kill the bridge builder, I'm just having some fun before I go to kill him, you see, the land of waves where this man lives is controlled by a very powerful man… money wise, his name is Gato from Gato Corp. He has an iron grasp on this country and won't let the bridge builder ruin it with the bridge." Ino nodded, it made sense.

"All we have to do is save sensei Sasuke." Ino said and Sasuke nodded. "Something in mind?"

"RUN!" They heard Kakashi yelled and Ino shook her head. "No sensei! We won't leave you behind, we _will_ complete this mission!" Kakashi stayed silent after that. "Your brats have to do the fighting for you Kakashi?" Kakashi didn't say anything. "Whatever. Kill them." He order the clone and it rushed at Sasuke, elbowing him in the gut, making him spit up blood before kicking him in the face. Sasuke flew back and the clone raised it's sword, blocking a kunai from Ino who jumped at him. Ino sliced at him with a kunai and the clone caught her by the throat. Ino smirked. She burst into smoke and the clone looked to the side. He blocked a punch from Sasuke but the blonde was missing.

Sasuke ducked under a kick. He then rolled to the side to avoid a vertical slice. The Zabuza clone spun and put his foot in Sasuke's gut, throwing him into the air. Sasuke threw a kunai at the real Zabuza who just caught it. He smirked at it turned into Ino and he held her by the collar. He headbutted her and she burst into smoke. "A shadow clone, where's the re-" His eyes widened when Ino burst from the water under him, a kunai stab up. Zabuza jumped back, receiving a shallow cut on his abdomen and Kakashi was set free. Zabuza growled and swung his massive sword at Ino. Ino raised her kunai to black but the man was too strong, pushing through it almost effortlessly but with enough trouble to cause his attack to only leave a large gash on her left arm. She yelled out in pain and Kakashi kicked Zabuza in the gut.

Zabuza slid back across the surface of the water. "Ino! Get back to Sasuke and have him patch that up, then go help Naruto!" He yelled and Ino nodded. She rushed back to Sasuke and he wrapped up her arm. "Let's go help Naruto!" She yelled and he nodded.

They ran into toward where Naruto was.

* * *

 **-Naruto-**

Naruto yelled out in pain a he was impaled by yet another volley of senbon from all directions. "Do you see now? It's futile." Naruto shook his head with a frown. He was beginning to get wabely. He was hurting and he had last a lot of blood, he was physically much stronger than the boy but the jutsu the boy was using made that useless as it seemed to increase the boys speed two hundred fold. Naruto growled out and another senbon hit a vital spot. He fell to his knees.

"I-I got this…" Naruto muttered before falling on his front, almost asleep. "Naruto!" He heard and he closed his eyes, drifting into another world.

Ino realized that it wasn't smart for both of them to travel into the mirrors and she stayed on the outside, attacking the mirrors that the boy appeared in. Sasuke went on the inside and he was being impaled by volley after volley of senbon, barely keeping track of the boy's movements. Sasuke jumped in front of Naruto yet again and unleashed a fireball. The boy dodged easily and kicked Sasuke in the chest, sending him at a mirror which the boy appeared in. Sasuke turned around and he could now sense the boy's movement.

Haku realized two things, one was that the boy was tracking his movements and he wasn't before, and two that the boy had a one tomoe sharingan in his eyes. Haku glared at him, narrowly avoiding a punch to the gut before formulating a plan. He sprung at Naruto and as he expected Sasuke toward them but his eyes widened. Sasuke wasn't fast enough but someone else was.

"INOOO!" Sasuke yelled. The Haku collided with Ino, impaling her with a senbon in a vital area. There was an audible crash noise and Ino grabbed him by his arm. His eyes widened and Ino punched him in the mask. He flew back and stood up. Ino collapsed and that left the Uchiha who he dashed at, catching him off guard and stabbing him in the neck, effectively rendering him unconscious. Haku sighed in relief before he heard a grunt. Ino wasn't completely unconscious either so she heard it as well.

"Wh-What?" Naruto muttered, sitting up. He looked around and his eyes widened immensely. "Ino!" He yelled and he rushed to her side. He could worry about Sasuke later. "N-Naruto? Is that you?" Ino asked and he nodded, propping her head up. He held her closely. Her eyes were losing their life and her skin was cold. "You'll be ok…" He said and tears began to fall down his face. "Naruto… I'm sorry, I should have taken you up on your offers…" Naruto's eyes widened. He knew what she was referring to. "D-Don't worry about it! You still can!" He yelled and Ino shook her head lightly.

"Hey... " She muttered, putting a hand on his cheek. "Be strong… for both of us ok? Thank you… Nar-ut-o."She muttered, not being able to finish her sentence before her body went limp and Naruto's heart shattered, her pulse was gone and she wasn't breathing.

"I..no…" He muttered silently. "Ino… common wake up… please." He whispered placing a kiss on her forehead. A voice interrupted him however.

"Is this the first time you have had a comrade die?" Naruto didn't respond. "She rushed in to sa-" " **SHUT THE HELL UP!** " Naruto yelled.

* * *

 **-Naruto's Mind-**

"Kyuubi. Give me your power." He said with a fierce glare, their chakras were merged successfully but he could always put more chakra into Naruto. " **That's not a good idea Naruto, that would seriously injure your body."**

"I DON'T CARE!" He yelled, his voice cracking at the end. " **I refuse.** " Naruto glared at him, walking forward. "I wasn't asking!" Naruto yelled. "GIVE. ME. YOUR. POWER!" The fox shook its head. "Fine! You won't give it to me!? THEN I'LL FORCE IT OUT!" Naruto screamed and he went to rip the seal off. The fox's eyes widened. " **YOU FOOL!** "

Naruto went to tear the rest of the seal off but the back of his collar was caught and he was thrown backward, onto the grassy plain that he had created, the slight splash of the waterfall hit him with droplets on his face. "Wh-What?" Naruto felt himself calm down, the rage was still there but it felt like he didn't have it right now, like he couldn't grasp that specific feeling. "You little Baka!" He heard and he looked up. He frowned, it was a woman with dark red waist length hair.

"Hello? Who are you?" Naruto asked and the woman shook her head with a sigh. "My name is Kushina Uzumaki dumb dumb, I'm your mom." Naruto's eyes slowly widened as the realization hit him. "M-Mom? B-But how!?" He yelled and she put her hand on her head with yet another sigh.

"How is not important, _why_ is. _Why_ are you trying to remove the seal?" Naruto glared at her, surprising her. "I'm going to destroy that fake hunter ninja, no matter the repercussions to my body." Kushina shook her head. "Not that I wouldn't do the same thing but be smart about this for a moment. If you unleash that much malice full chakra, who do you think will be affected, you for one, will not only sense the need to destroy that boy but your friends as well, even if the Yamanaka is dead that doesn't give you the need to kill the rest of your squad as well, did you think about that?"

Naruto was in shock, she was completely right, he had been an idiot down to his core. "I'm… I'm sorry." He muttered. The fox huffed at him and turned away. Kushina just smiled softly at him. "Look, it's ok, everyone makes mistakes. I'm just glad that I could make it in time." She said and Naruto nodded. "Who… was dad?" Naruto asked out of the blue and Kushina was a little caught off guard. "A-Actually, I can't tell you that." She muttered and Naruto sighed. "Well at least I know who my mom is…" He said and she nodded. "Now, I hope you don't want to try that again _ever_. Fluffy's nice but he's also not allowed out." Kushina said and Naruto nodded, snickering a bit at the nick name.

" **SHUT UP!** " The fox roared and Naruto resisted the urge to to laugh.

"I have a question though…" Kushina nodded. "What should I do now?" She was a little caught off guard by the question but she regained her composure quickly. "Well, generally after a lover dies… you try yo-" Her eyes widened. "Well well… it seems miss Yamanaka is alive… in that case, I suggest you tell her how you feel." Naruto's eyes widened. "She's alive!?" Kushina nodded. "That masked kid must have put her in a coma." Naruto nodded with a sigh. "I want to tell her how I feel… but I know she doesn't feel the same way… at least not as far as I know, what I do know is that she pushed me away when I was there for her and I'm waiting for her to allow me back in." He said and Kushina sighed.

"You need to figure out how the female heart works Naruto… although that is impossible…" Naruto nodded. "Yeah I know… I'll just see how things play out." Kushina felt herself fading. "Well it seems the chakra has run out, I love you Naruto…" She said and she turned transparent. "Mom…" Naruto said and he pulled her still physical form into a hug, his head right below her breasts. "I love you too… thank you, I'll never forget you." His mom teared up and vanished. Naruto stared at the place that she previously stood for a moment before turning to the fox. "Kyuubi, I'm sorry." He said and he held up his fist. "Still friends?" He asked with a grin.

" **Naruto… friends is a step too far… but whatever.** " The fox said and he fist bumped Naruto, their chakra rebinding instantaneously and stronger than ever. "LET'S DO THIS!" Naruto yelled.

* * *

 **-Real World-**

"Wh-What's happening!?" Haku yelled in confusion and fear. Naruto went from leaking massive killer intent to calm but hold extreme power. His chakra was blaring and suffocating, visible and purple. "Is this a kekkei genkai!?" Haku yelled and Naruto grinned at him, getting into his stance. "No matter! I won't be defeated by you! I must aid Zabuza in his mission!" Haku began to replicate across the mirrors seemingly and Naruto watched him intently, able to keep up with his movement. Naruto hadn't taken off his weights and he didn't plan to in this fight.

"Then let's begin!"

Naruto vanished before Haku's eyes but as a trained shinobi on high chunin level, he was able to keep up with Naruto's movements. Naruto appeared behind the mirror he was in and punched it. It shattered, disrupting the jutsu and Haku jumped away from the crystal ice mirrors. Naruto disappeared again and picked up Ino, setting her gently by Sasuke.

"It seems that you have figured out that they are not dead, do you intend to continue the battle?" Naruto nodded to her and looked down. "You said that killing is the way of a shinobi right? In that case I want us to both follow the way of shinobi Haku, I want this to end with only one of us walking away with our lives." Naruto said and Haku nodded. "I will make sure that I follow through with that." Naruto grinned and ran at Haku who responded eagerly, pulling open his kimono and revealing a katana. He unsheathed it and swung it at Naruto who narrowly dodged it and punch at Haku with a hook.

Haku leaned back to dodge but it blew his mask off of his face and to the side. Naruto followed up with his assault, kicking at his gut to which Haku bent over slightly, letting it fly past his stomach. Haku spun and with an elegant slice he cut at Naruto who leaned back as well, gaining a small cut on his cheek. Naruto then found a hole in his form and punched at Haku's other shoulder, making him gasp in pain before Naruto swept his feet out from under him, kicking him away in mid air. Haku landed on the ground, sliding to his feet but Naruto was already done weaving through hand seals.

 _Wind Style: Air Bullet!_

Naruto yelled and he spat out a massive ball of piercing wind chakra that Haku rolled to the right to dodge but it clipped his shoulder, cutting and dislocating it. With only one good hand, the odds were not in Haku's favor, especially since when he looked up, Naruto was gone. An uppercut hit the bottom of his chin and he was sent a couple feet into the air. A clone popped into existence from Naruto and jumped off his hands, getting ready to continue the assault but Haku stabbed the clone, landed on her feet and stabbed at Naruto.

Naruto was left with little time to dodge but he manage to avoid fatal damage, receiving a gash on his side. Naruto then spun and kicked him in the side of the head but Haku recovered rather quickly and slashed horizontally at Naruto. Naruto summersalted over the slash and rolling into Haku's close range but since Haku was holding a sword he was unable to stop Naruto with his good hand, allowing Naruto to slam a punch into his gut. Haku doubled over and Naruto slammed his knee into Haku's face, sending him soaring through the air and onto his back.

Haku struggled to stand up and he had lost his sword, leaving him with only three jutsu to use which was the needles, the water clones, and the hidden mist. He raised his hand and three of himself appeared. Naruto's narrowed and he crossed his fingers, eighty of himself appeared in the area. "It looks like this is the end Haku." Naruto said as his clones began to weave through hand signs. "Not yet."

 _Hidden Mist Jutsu!_

Haku and his clones were hidden in the thick mist that covered the area. His clones and himself all held up their good hand again. Haku channeled chakra.

 _Four Thousand Needles of Death!_

Naruto's eye widened and he made quick work of getting out of the mist but his clones weren't so fortunate. Naruto dashed back in after a moment and caught the original Haku off guard, stabbing him with his own sword through the gut. Haku coughed up blood and yelled out in pain, his clones burst into water and the mist slowly faded. Naruto just kept him there. "Y-You win…" Naruto sighed. "Naruto… my name's Naruto." Haku nodded. "You win Naruto…" He repeated this time saying Naruto's name. Naruto nodded with a sad smile. He unsheathed the blade and Haku fell to the ground, dying in a pool of his own blood.

"I'm guessing this is the first time you have taken a life Naruto." Kakashi said from behind Naruto and Naruto nodded. "Yeah… but it's the way of shinobi…" Kakashi nodded. "I can't say that you ever 'get used to it' but eventually it becomes like second nature. Anyway, what happened, where are the other two?" Naruto pointed to the side and Kakashi walked over to them. Naruto stabbed the ground with the blade and Tazuna emerged from the trees a moment later. "We won? Great!" Naruto scowled at him and turned around, walking to Kakashi and his team. He sat down next to them and Kakashi collapsed from exhaustion, using the sharingan too much.

"I hope to god that if anybody comes next, they won't be nearly as strong as them." Naruto muttered and he sighed. This was going to be a long mission, maybe they could just take out who sent them and be done with it.

* * *

 **-Thanks for reading this chapter! The roles are reversed in this one! Kushina comes first and can't tell Naruto who his dad is. Review and tell me what you think! Follow and Favorite if you are enjoying the story. Bubye!**


	5. S1 Ch5: Fox, The Exams Begin!

**Chapter Five: Fox, The Exams Begin!**

* * *

Naruto sat on the balcony of Tazuna's home, deep in thought. The balcony faced the ocean and gave Naruto a rather great thinking sot but it also hid him from anyone that was looking outside for him. Or so he thought. Kakashi sat next to him. "Yo." Kakashi said and Naruto didn't say anything. "So… you seem even _more_ distant if that's even possible Naruto, there any reason for that?" Kakashi asked and Naruto didn't respond for a moment. The breeze tickled his skin a bit and he sighed deeply.

"I met her Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi cocked his brow. "She was beautiful… strong… loving… famous… and something that I wish I could have." Kakashi figured he was talking about a girl for a moment but then Naruto spoke up again. "Kushina Uzumaki." Kakashi's eye immediately widened and he stood up from shock. Naruto still didn't even look at him. "So I guess you knew." Naruto said and he directed his gaze at Kakashi, revealing the fact that he had tears falling down his cheeks.

Kakashi gave a sad nod and he sat down next to Naruto again with a sigh. "I'm assuming that your seal master of a mother figured out a way to talk to you despite the fact that she's long gone?" Naruto nodded. "Well… you know there is a reason that you weren't told right? It wasn't to spite you, the contrary in fact." Naruto shot him a confused look and Kakashi chuckled. "She was a famous ninja Naruto. We were keeping you safe by not revealing your heritage, and if I were you, I wouldn't tell anyone." Naruto nodded. "Did she tell you… who he was?" Naruto shook his head, already knowing what Kakashi was referring to.

"She told me that she couldn't tell me that. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the fact that my dad probably tampered with the seal himself… I have an assumption at who he was though and I'm almost positive, we look exactly the same. But I already figured that if he had a lot of enemies that it wasn't safe to talk about that one, especially with someone as famous as the 'Yellow Flash'." Kakashi froze up and that was all Naruto needed to confirm it. "So it is true huh? Well… I don't even know what to do about it anyway." Kakashi then spoke up.

"Nothing." He said and Naruto looked at him with a slightly confused look that Kakashi had come to love from his little genin. "You are doing just fine as it is Naruto, progressing at alarming rates and making friends. As far as I can see, you and Ino have a thing going on and I assume that you wouldn't give that up correct?" Naruto frowned and looked down at the water. "The only thing you _can_ do is follow your dreams and make him proud, try even harder than you were before, get to the point where your name is in the bingo book, make it read 'Flee on sight, do _not_ by any means engage in combat.'." Naruto nodded, a small smile forming on his face. "The first step to that is ANBU Naruto." Kakashi said. "That's how your dad made a name for himself as well as me."

Naruto slowly grinned, the thought of being in the ANBU Black Ops was appealing to him. "When can I begin?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "Tomorrow, if you are feeling up to it. I went over the exercise for tomorrow with Ino and she said that you and her can already do the tree exercise and water walk correct?" Naruto nodded. "Then I will help you with certain things that ANBU _have_ to know, maybe you can even have your first assignment sooner than you think. I mean, it would be a shame if the tyrant of this country mysteriously passed away in his sleep." Naruto's grin widened, knowing what Kakashi was referring to.

"I'm in." Naruto said without hesitation.

Kakashi pulled out a scroll and in a puff of smoke there was a sword in his hand. "I had a sword when I was in the ANBU… it was a tanto but it doesn't matter. I always carry a sword and I think you should take this one… at least until you get one of your own." Naruto eagerly took the blade, he enjoyed the feeling of the blade in his hand. The sheathe to the blade was black with a blue string tied around at the guard which was the Konoha swirl… or the Uzumaki swirl. He opened it slightly and the blade was a deep black that would blend in with the shadows the blade didn't seem to reflect any light but it was still metallic and sharp. "Now, Naruto Uzumaki, you are temporarily promoted to ANBU, you begin your training in the morning at dawn, go get some sleep." Naruto nodded and he sheathed the sword with an audible 'click.'

He held it by the black grip and walked inside. Kakashi sighed. "You would be proud Minato-Sensei." He said and he looked at the ocean. "Just as proud as I am, if not prouder." Kakashi said with an eye smile, beginning his watch.

* * *

 **-The Next Day-**

Naruto woke up from his bed with a grin, it was still getting brighter outside, signalling that it wasn't far past four in the morning. Naruto noticed that Kakashi was already waiting for him, since he wasn't in the room. "Yatta…" Naruto whispered and he snuck past the sleeping form of Sasuke, creeping through the hallway past Ino's room but he didn't notice that she was already up and walking out of the bathroom. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of him but she didn't say anything, she just followed him out of the building, and to the training ground where he met with Kakashi.

"So Naruto, what are the basics of being a shinobi?" Kakashi asked, expecting Naruto to have no problem answering this. His prayers were answered when Naruto spoke up without hesitation. "Chakra Control, Balance, Stealth, Silence, and Power." Kakashi nodded. "Today we will be working on Stealth, Silence, and Balance. These are the essentials of an ANBU, as you will be doing more stealth and assassination work than even a full fledged Jonin." Naruto nodded, staying silent through Kakashi's explanation. "Let's start with silence, I want you to erase all signs that you are alive and hide somewhere that I can't see you, I am going to be enhancing my hearing with chakra and I expect you to stay quiet. You have until the count of five to hide and I am going to be covering my eyes."

Kakashi covered his eyes and Naruto immediately sprung into action, literally. He jumped into the air silently, landing on a branch above Kakashi and doing his best to blend to the tree, actually doing rather well. "Five." Kakashi said he didn't open his eyes, just listening. "That needs work Naruto." He said in Naruto's ear from behind him, a kunai pressed into Naruto's throat.

"N-No way!" Naruto yelled and Kakashi pulled back his kunai.

"Now we are going to do the same thing in reverse Naruto." Naruto nodded slowly. He jumped down with Kakashi and he covered his eyes, counting in his mind.

"Five." He muttered and he didn't open his eyes, he channeled chakra into his ears and listened. He disappeared immediately, appearing beside the hiding Ino, "Ino?" He asked and she slowly turned toward him. "What are you doing here?" He asked and she sighed.

"I was curious what you were doing up so early." He shrugged.

"I'm training… now I'm gonna get back to that so…" He said and she nodded. He jumped away from her and she fell over, a massive blush on her face, he had caught her so off guard that it actually hurt her chest with how scared she was. Naruto returned to the middle of the field, refocusing his attention to find Kakashi. His ear perked up and he blasted toward the treeline, finding Kakashi. Kakashi visibly smiled under his mask.

"At least we don't have to work much on your sensor ability but we already knew that, after you tackled that fake hunter ninja that worked for Zabuza." Naruto nodded. "So now we work on your silence, starting with-"

* * *

 **-Timeskip Two Weeks-**

Naruto raised his sword and parried a kunai from a kakashi clone. Naruto then spun around and threw a roundhouse at his chest but the clone ducked and sent the kunai toward Naruto's gut. Naruto rolled back before lunging forward and stabbing the clone in the gut, causing it to disperse. The real Kakashi dashed from the treeline and Naruto spun around, intercepting his kunai with his sword. Kakashi pushed twice as hard and made Naruto lose balance but Naruto used this to his advantage, flipping back on his hands and kicking Kakashi under the chin, or that was the intention but Kakashi leaned back and the kicked flew past his face before he dashed forward again.

Naruto jumped back and weaved through hand seals.

 _Ninja Art: Disruption!_

This was a genjutsu designed to disorient the opponent and it worked as Kakashi stumbled a bit and Naruto jumped at him, ready to end the fight but Kakashi spun and kicked Naruto in the side, sending him onto another tree branch. Naruto jumped back to avoid a fireball and he stabbed the sword into the trunk of another tree before pulling himself up along with his sword, throwing himself into the air. He formed ten clones and one after another he threw them like rockets at Kakashi who expertly evaded, having his headband already up.

Naruto then went down himself and kicked at Kakashi who saw right through the movement with his sharingan. Naruto smirked as he faked the kick however and spun the opposite direction, going low and sweeping Kakashi's legs out from under him. Kakashi put his hands down and threw himself away from Naruto who stabbed at the air where he previously was. Kakashi then weaved through hand signs and wordlessly slid into the tree transparently. Naruto looked around and closed his eyes, focusing on his surroundings, he could feel a slight rumble under his feet and he jumped in the air as Kakashi appeared from out of the tree in an uppercut like motion.

Naruto landed horizontally on a tree trunk and he weaved through hand seals.

 _Wind Style: Air Bullet!_

Naruto yelled and his cheeks grew big before he unleashed a massive ball of wind at Kakashi who was left with little room to dodge but he used this narrow room to surprise Naruto and he managed to get behind him, putting a kunai to his throat. "It's over." He said and Naruto grinned. "You are getting better though Naruto, alot better. I may not have been going all out but neither were you, you haven't taken off your weights." Naruto nodded. "How much weight are you carrying around anyway?" Naruto shrugged, having lost count a couple hundred pounds ago." Kakashi sighed and sheathed the kunai, rubbing the back of his head and putting his headband back down.

"You are ANBU level now but I want you to be at least special jounin level before you join the ANBU. When we get back and you do the chunin exams, we will finish the training that you have to do but for the next few days you can relax, the exams begin in three days and it's going to take two to get back." Naruto nodded, they were in fact, leaving the wave today. Much to the pleasure of the village, Gato had vanished a couple of days prior to them leaving. Why? Just think of it as a mission as an ANBU.

Naruto had infiltrated the mansion and with little to no effort, he had managed to assassinate the shorter man with one swift slice that had left his head rolling on the ground.

* * *

 **-Flashback-**

Naruto landed in front of Gato's mansion but a little far away in a tree, he had an earpiece in his ear, signalling that Kakashi was talking to him. " _Are you in position?"_ He heard in his headset and he whispered a positive to his jounin sensei. " _Wait for the next guard cycle and take him out, try to keep the death to a minimum if possible."_ Naruto nodded to himself but Kakashi knew that he had been heard. Naruto waited for a couple minutes before dashed down silently, using his chakra to silent his footsteps. He appeared behind a guard and in one swift motion punched him in the back of the head hard enough to leave him unconscious. Naruto picked up his body and put it in the woods before jumping up to a window and peeking through silently.

The room was empty signifying that Naruto could in fact make it in unseen. Naruto opened the window with a small burst of chakra and slipped into the dark room. He smirked to himself at being able to get in unseen but his eyes widened when the door opened and Naruto dashed into a dark corner. Naruto stayed there for a moment and the thug went to close the window. Naruto chopped his neck and pushed him out of the window with a sickening 'Crack.' Naruto made his way out of the room and his eyes widened it was almost completely empty. They were most likely all in one place then.

Naruto made his way into room after room, subduing anybody that he came across, before finally making it to the office of the man he was meant to kill Naruto slipped in through the door, not caring that the short man was currently in between the legs of a young girl. Naruto severed the man's head in one swift motion of his now unsheathed sword and he was thankful for the mask that Kakashi had let him borrow. He looked down at the little girl. "Are you ok?" He asked and she nodded hastily, tears falling from her eyes. He handed her her clothing which was thrown to the side and he picked her up bridal style.

"Dog, Mission is complete." Naruto said and she looked at him confused before seeing the thing in his ear. A low resounding voice spoke up soon after.

" _Good work Fox, return immediately."_

Naruto didn't say anything back but he jumped out of a nearby window and made his way through the woods, setting the girl down near the town. She hugged him and ran into the town.

Naruto shunshin to Tazuna's house and he landed on the roof. He looked around and spotted Kakashi in the yard looking back at him. Naruto jumped over to him, taking off the mask and handing him the mask. Kakashi took it and nodded to him. "Good work Naruto, go rest, we will continue training tomorrow." Naruto nodded. Naruto went inside and to bed, not peacefully but rather satisfied.

* * *

 **-Flashback End-**

Naruto sighed and he sat back. The chunin exams were so soon… no time to take a proper rest. They were leaving later that day, they were just getting in some last minute sparring. Naruto then sprung up with a wince and a hiss. Ino was laughing after pouring a bucket of cold water on him. Naruto growled at her and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and he jumped into the nearby lake. She screamed and he laughed loudly. Naruto then jumped out of the water to avoid a low level water jutsu from her. He began to run and he felt his legs come out from under him as a foot came out of the treeline and right into his ankles. Naruto glared at Sasuke who had a smirk on his face.

"Teme!" Naruto yelled and he was tackled by Ino. Ino then punched him on top of his head and Sasuke actually let out a laugh. He was glad to be placed on a team with someone that wasn't completely head over heels for him. His eyes then widened and he hunched over as Naruto planted his fist into his gut before he got pummeled by Ino. He could hear Naruto mutter. "Worth it." Ino smiled at Sasuke.

"Thank you Sasuke!" She said and he looked away with a smirk. Maybe not completely head over heels for him, one hundred times better than Sakura though. Naruto stood up.

"So I assume that you two are just as ready as I am for the chunin exams right?" He asked and they hastily nodded.

"Yeah, I can't wait to be a chunin." Ino said and Sasuke agreed.

"We can start taking missions like this one way more often." Sasuke said and Naruto nodded. "Though I don't believe that this is usually what a C-Rank mission entails…" Naruto shook his head. This was already an S-Rank mission for him and an A-Rank for the other two.

"No, that would usually classify as a high A-Rank to S-Rank." Naruto said and Sasuke smirked. Naruto had come a long way from being the dobe of the class and he was glad to have him on the team. They had yet to fight but he was pretty sure that Naruto might be able to keep up with him. "So are you guys all ready? I'm about ready to leave and get some ramen!" Ino nodded and Sasuke shrugged.

"I never really unpacked, we kind of got here really quick and just used Tazuna's home instead." Naruto nodded.

"Fair enough, well let's go teme!" He yelled and he turned around. "Oh and Ino…" He said and she cocked a brow. "Thanks." He said and she gave him a confused look. "Don't worry about it." He said and she shrugged.

"Whatever?" She said but it was more of a question. She had no idea what he was thanking her for but maybe he would tell her when they got home. She was happy that they were done with the extended mission. She may not have been as helpful as them but she was definitely exhausted. It was now time to return to their village.

After leaving they stayed on the road constantly for two days, not stopping because they wanted as much time as possible.

* * *

 **-Timeskip?-**

Naruto and Ino returned to their home after going to the hokage office and Ino immediately went to take a shower. Naruto instead decided to take a nap and he crashed on the couch almost immediately. He didn't feel like talking to anybody at the moment so he went into a peaceful abyss of sleep instead.

Naruto woke up an hour later and he got up, going into the kitchen to find Ino humming to herself while she happily cooked. She danced around gracefully and Naruto found the sight mesmerizing. He sat down silently and just watched her work in the kitchen, not bothering to make himself known. She seemed to be humming a song to herself and Naruto found himself hypnotized. She finally laid eyes on his form and her head turned red, a blush so fierce that it rivaled his mother's hair became apparent. Naruto grinned at her and she growled.

"YOU BAKA!" A loud crash was heard and Naruto could be seen a few minutes later sitting at the table with a bandage over his nose as he enjoyed the food that Ino had prepared. He was grinning all the same, ignoring the fuming Ino and his pained nose. "Don't scare me like that baka." She muttered and he chuckled a bit. She glared at him as he began speaking.

"I couldn't help it, the sight was so beautiful that I had to sit down and watch, I would do it again a thousand times over as well… maybe next time I'll bring popcorn." She growled.

"There will not be a next time!" She yelled and he gave her a pouty face.

"B-But!?" She hardened her glare and he sighed.

"Fine I won't watch you… Geez." He said and she grinned in triumph. "That you know of." He finished and her glare returned. "Fine Fine!" He yelled and he covered himself.

"Good." She said and he grinned.

"So are you ready for tomorrow?" He asked and she looked down at her bowl of soup, her face reflected lightly off the reflection of the soup and she smiled lightly.

"Yeah… I think I am, I'm really looking forward to handing forehead her ass!" Naruto laughed.

"That's the spirit!" Naruto yelled. "This soup is good but lets go get some ramen!" He yelled and he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the apartment. She didn't even protest, she was used to it at this point.

She and Naruto turned down a side street and Naruto's eyes widened.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto yelled and he dashed to save his rival. Konohamaru was currently being held up by his overly big scarf by a guy in a black feline costume with a large package on his back. Naruto pushed the guy and took Konohamaru, putting him down. "Go to Ino." He said, pointing at Ino and Konohamaru nodded. Naruto glared at the cat guy.

"Kankuro, c'mon! Gaara's gonna be pissed!" He heard and he laid eyes on a blonde girl.

"Temari… I'm just having a bit of fun." Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Hey is that Gaara? Because he's been there the entire time, right next to Sasuke-teme." Naruto asked, pointing at Sasuke and Gaara who were in the same tree to the right. Kankuro's eyes widened. Naruto could tell that Gaara scared the hell out of those two, but he could also tell that Gaara was more powerful than Kankuro and Temari combined. Naruto felt Kyuubi stir.

' **Shukaku!** ' Naruto's eyes widened his narrowed eyes turned to a full on glare."Shukaku huh? I'm pretty sure that Kyuubi is stronger." Naruto said, no shame in his words and Gaara's eyes widened. Temari and Kankuro immediately jumped away from Naruto but he didn't even look at them. "I'm guessing that you three are here for the chunin exams right? Well how about we settle this then? I'm looking forward to it _Gaara_ don't disappoint me. Or I'll _kill you_." He didn't even realize that he had used Gaara's own line on himself.

"Sasuke, do you wanna come with us to Ichiraku?" He asked and Sasuke shrugged.

"Why not?" He asked and he went with them.

* * *

 **-The Next Day-**

Naruto sprung off the couch in his boxers, running into the shower and getting out quickly. He was just about late… but that meant Ino was as well! "INO!" He yelled and she came running out of her room fully dressed.

"What!?" She yelled, fear evident in her voice. He sighed in relief.

"Let's go!" Naruto yelled and he picked her up bridal, shunshining away. Naruto's chest was bare and he had his shirt in his hand so the situation did not look good when they arrived in front of the academy but Sasuke just snickered at them. "Alright! We made it!" He yelled and he put her down, ready to put on his shirt. As he put it on, the door to the academy opened and a chunin kunoichi came out.

"Oh~ What's going on here? Public sexual actions are not tolerated~" Ino flushed red and Naruto finished pulling it on, shooting a charming smile at the chunin. The chunin blushed and turned away. Naruto walked into the academy with a confused Ino and a bored Sasuke in tow.

"Agh!" He heard and he turned to a large crowd with a boy in green spandex getting knocked down with a grunt. A chuckle was heard.

"You should just give up, we're doing you a favor, leave now." A chunin said with a cold look. Naruto stepped forward, well aware that they were on the second floor.

"Really? I bet I could destroy you two with one hand." Naruto said and he turned to the boy. "Drop the act and go upstairs." He said and the boy's eyes widened. "As for you two." Naruto said and he turned toward the other two. Naruto sent the first one flying back through the door and into a desk with a gut straight kick and the other one sprung into action. He punched at Naruto but Naruto leaned his head to the right, avoiding it. He then spun and planted his elbow into the side of the guy's face before spinning the other way and sweeping his feet from under him.

Naruto then turned toward the shocked faces of the other genin and just shook his head. "If you are surprised by that then none of you deserve to be chunin. Sasuke, Ino. Let's go." Sasuke shrugged and followed after him. Ino just stood there for a moment, confused on why Naruto beat those guys.

"Why'd you have to beat them like that?" She asked and he grinned. He clearly had some kind of plan.

"Intimidation." Was all he said and Ino got the idea. He basically did what the two chunin were trying to do better. In a way, he actually helped them. "Oh?" Naruto asked and he turned around. Sasuke was already facing that way though. Ino frowned. On the balcony was the by in green spandex. "Any reason you are here?" Naruto asked and the boy nodded, jumping down in front of them gracefully.

"I would like to fight Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke frowned. Naruto snickered. "I want to show him that hard work beats genius." Naruto nodded and Sasuke just shook his head.

"Well, save it for the finals of the chunin exams, they are one on one matches after all, and I'm pretty confident in my team." Naruto said the boy nodded. "What's your name?" Naruto asked and the boy struck a pose with his thumb up and his teeth sparkling.

"My name is Rock Lee!" Naruto nodded and grinned, shaking the boys hand. "You are most youthful."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I expect good things from you Lee. See you in the finals." Naruto said and Lee nodded.

"Lee!" Lee turned toward a girl with brown buns in her hair and a Hyuga with a cocky look on his face. Naruto didn't like the guy from the moment he saw him. Naruto and the Hyuga locked eyes. "Neji, calm down." The girl said and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me Tenten." He said and he pulled away, walking toward the exit. "I don't like being touched by failures." He said coldly and Naruto's glare instantly hardened ten fold, to see him treat his teammates like that was infuriating. They all left and Naruto walked after them with his team in tow.

Naruto arrived to the room and grinned. It was all nine graduates. "Yo." He said and he held up his hand.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled and she rushed past him. Naruto shrugged and he smirked at the sight of Kiba who smirked back.

"Hey Dogboy, glad to see you haven't been kicked off the team yet." Naruto said with a forming grin and Kiba shook his head.

"I'm surprised you have a team at all." He grinned at Naruto who faltered slightly but Naruto grinned back after.

"Troublesome." Naruto shook his head. The pineapple haired genius was behind him.

"Shikamaru!" Ino yelled and Naruto smiled. He turned to them and Shikamaru was forced into a hug from Ino. She then turned and hugged Choji who had just arrived as well. Choji choked on his food and Naruto began laughing.

"Hello N-Naruto." He turned to Hinata and smiled at her.

"Hey Hinata, how've ya been?" Hinata looked at her teammates and smiled.

"It's b-been g-good." She said and he nodded.

"Shino, you look the exact same… if not quieter." Naruto said and he just received a shrug.

The rookie nine conversed for a while loudly until a boy with silver hair approached them. "You guys should probably quiet down, they don't seem all too happy about you being so loud, you are literally making yourself a target." He said and Naruto grinned at him before turning to the audience.

"No. Naruto don't do it." Shikamaru said but he sighed when Naruto yelled.

"Anybody that wants to fight me, come at me! I will beat every single last one of you into the ground until you can't get up anymore!" Naruto yelled and he laughed after but he was interrupted when three figures jumped up. Three sound genin rushed at him and he took note of the the fact that they were already clearly chunin level.

Naruto's enhanced hearing could pick up the sound coming from a gauntlet on one's arm and he smirked. "Not falling for that one." Naruto said calmly and the guy went to punch him but before he could swing he was sent flying into the wall on the opposite side of the room by a kick to the gut from Naruto. He groaned in pain and Naruto leaned to the side, avoiding a volley of senbon before spinning and connecting a roundhouse to a girls side, sending her rolling across the ground. He felt a had on his back and he frowned.

"It's over."

 _SUPER SONIC SPLICING-_

Naruto turned and interrupted the attack, punching him in the bottom of his elbow. A resounding 'crack' was heard and the boy screamed in pain, clutching his arm but Naruto punched him in the face, sending him rolling back as well. "Geez." Naruto said and he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"What do you mean 'geez' dobe? You literally told them to attack you." Sasuke spoke up and Naruto shrugged.

"Whatever, the proctor is here anyway." Naruto said and there was an explosion of smoke in the front of the floor.

" **SHUT UP!"**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading this chapter, leave a review and tell me what you think. If you want to be in quick and check out the next chapter, follow and favorite the story. If you want to keep up with any stories that I post and update, follow and favorite me! Anyway, stop in for the next chapter.**


	6. S1 Ch6: Beginning of the Second Exam!

Naruto decided to keep quiet when people began giving up for the last question, realizing that what Ibiki was doing was necessary. Only true ninja would stick around with this amount of pressure on them and complete the mission despite the odds being against them. They were ninja, they had to have steeled feelings until the end.

After the test Ibiki explained what the test was for and congratulated them Naruto was a little displeased with the congratulation from him for some reason and he couldn't place a finger on it. It was like this positive attitude was supposed to prepare them for the worst, and in the ninja world, the worst is death. When he finished explaining, a woman Naruto recognized made her way into the window with a flash explosion.

"Ok maggots! On to the second exam!" She screamed and Naruto realized what it was that they were being prepared for. He heard a foxy chuckle, knowing that it was the fox. "Follow me!" She yelled and began marching away. Naruto groaned at her antics and got confused eyes from Hinata and a small chuckle from Sasuke.

* * *

Naruto sighed out, holding a scroll in his hand. Sasuke had a scroll as well, a heaven scroll, Naruto's was a sealing scroll however. It had something in it, something he had been steadily training with and was ready to unveil. He and Ino had even removed their weights, as did Sasuke who had managed to catch up with their training before the exams.

Sasuke had left it to Naruto to come up with a plan but what he didn't know is that Naruto wasn't planning to hold back against the other genin, he was out to take lives. Ino looked at the scroll in Naruto's hands, she didn't even know what was in it. Only Naruto and Kakashi knew. If she had to guess though she would say that it had something to do with the training Naruto was doing with Kakashi when she found them in the wave.

Everyone on the team had changed up their attire a bit, looking more defined and like professional ninja. Sasuke's look changed the most, from his blue high collared tee with the Uchiha insignia on the back with white shorts and blue sandals to a black ninja shirt with the Uchiha insignia on his right sleeve and dark grey ninja pants with black sandals.

Naruto had changed his look too, being a deep blue long sleeve ninja shirt with a light gray tee over it and black ninja pants with the konoha swirl on the knee, his pants were tucked into a pair of deep blue ninja sandals and his headband was around his right bicep similar to Shikamaru. His ninja pouch was pretty full but nobody knew what was inside, it was like he had a bag of tricks.

Ino was wearing a dark purple short sleeve ninja shirt with her headband around her waist and black ninja pants that were tucked into black ninja sandals. Her hair was put into waves instead of a ponytail as if she was attempting to distract men and attack when they were least expecting it, but this was common among the kunoichi, seduction was a great tactic. Her attitude seemed to be a bit different as well, having her eyes a bit harder and her posture a bit more aggressive, as if she was actually prepared to take a life.

One thing that stood out to both Sasuke and Ino though was Naruto's attitude. He had been a bit more positive since they had returned from the wave and he was getting along with Ino and Sasuke again but it seemed like his mind was always elsewhere, like he had more important things to do than hang out with them. They still hung out and it wasn't like Naruto was trying to avoid them but it seemed like he was less emotional nowadays.

Sasuke had opened up a bit more but he always kept his composure when dealing with ninja stuff. He had a conversation with Naruto about what happened to his clan that night and what his brother told him and to his surprise Naruto seemed to support his brother a bit, like Itachi did the right thing. He explained that Itachi was a _known_ Anbu and if had exterminated his clan it was for a reason, as a matter of fact he had even spared Sasuke with a blank face, telling Sasuke to become stronger. So Sasuke seemed to always be deep in thought as well when it didn't have anything to do with missions or fighting.

When Anko gave the signal and the gate opened all three of them were already blasting deep into the forest and following Naruto's plan.

* * *

 **-Flashback-**

"Naruto, you are responsible for coming up with a plan this time. I have noticed that you have been observing literally everyone around us, especially that sand ninja squad." Sasuke said and Ino frowned, Naruto had been overseeing the other teams? That wasn't like him, he would usually just charge in without thinking about it, was this same Baka she had come to love?

"I have been trying to come up with a good strategy and it involves that grass ninja that has been staring at us for the longest time, I think he is staring at you Sasuke… I get a bad feeling from him." Sasuke nodded, knowing exactly what he was talking about, he had felt like he was being watched for the longest time. "Here's the plan." Naruto started.

"She said that everyone has a scroll right? So there are thirty seven teams which means thirty seven scrolls. I want to collect them, as well as information about every team that makes it, including the genin from our village." Naruto said and he took a deep breath before continuing, he was happy that Ino and Sasuke were actually paying attention to him.

"I am going to create a mass of clones, as I am now I can create two thousand five hundred clones without completely exhausting myself, I am going to create as many clones as there are participants and I am going to disguise them as you guys as well as me, so in a way it will be like there are thirty seven of each of us." Sasuke nodded.

"I assume you are going to send them out and have them collect info as well as engage if they can handle it?" Naruto nodded.

"That's part of it." He said and he pulled up a stick from the ground, drawing on the ground, a big circle symbolizing the training field.

"Here." He said, pointing to the edge. "This is where we are." He said and Ino nodded hastily, Sasuke knew this already so he just listened. "I am going to send out thirty six team sevens and have them collect as many scrolls as possible, cutting out whoever can't fight back. I am positive that all of the teams from the leaf will make it, as well as the sand team and the grass team." Naruto said.

"The real problem lies with the Grass team though, The grass team and the sand team." Naruto said and they nodded. "The sand team seems to be more concerned with fighting then making it through the test, the grass team is solely focused on us, I don't know if they are focused on the Uchiha, the Fox, or the Yamanaka… or all three, but one thing's for sure, if our real team comes across them, we flee immediately. I get the feeling that I had when I saved Ino. I have a feeling that these people are linked to Orochimaru." Naruto dropped that bombshell and Ino's eyes went wide as Saucers.

"So that's why you were observing so much, you don't trust even the people from the leaf." Naruto nodded.

"Orochimaru must want something from this exam and my goal isn't completing the test anymore, Hokage-sama has problems with his former student and I fear for the safety of our leader. I am going to trail the grass team by myself." Naruto said and it was this that made Ino speak up.

"No!" Naruto held up his hand.

"Shhh." He said and he gave a soft smile. "Don't worry Ino, I'll be fine. I can't die yet… I still haven't accomplished my biggest goal." Naruto said and she frowned.

"Naruto! This isn't safe! If you die how are going to become hokage!?" Naruto held up his hand.

"That's not my number one dream Ino." Naruto said softly and he gave her a small soft smile. She understood what he meant instantly and felt her heart begin to race.

"Naruto, now's not the time for romance. On a real note, you are my comrade." Sasuke said and Naruto scratched the back of his head a bit with a grin. "You better make it back alive, I don't want to have to deal with this girl by myself, not to mention that bastard Kakashi." Ino punched him in the arm and he chuckled a bit. "Serious loser, don't make me regret letting you make the plan." Naruto nodded and Ino sighed.

* * *

 **-Flashback End-**

Ino and Sasuke just jumped from tree to tree with the clone of Naruto and it seemed the clone was a bit stronger than a normal clone because he was keeping up with them easily. Ino was also really worried and Sasuke could tell. "Ino, don't worry too much, the loser won't die. Like he said when we were first assigned a team together, he doesn't go back on his word and he doesn't give up, give the blonde idiot a bit more credit." Ino sighed and nodded.

They landed on a particularly large branch and they noticed that most of the branches were like that around them. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and looked around, trying to see an kind of hidden chakra and his eyes widened a bit as a boy from the cloud shot out from the tree beneath him with a kunai stabbing up at him. Sasuke and Ino jumped back on the branch and Sasuke nodded to another direction signalling Ino to look and there was similar girl on the other side of the branch, closer to the trunk of the tree.

"You can handle her right?" Sasuke asked and Ino nodded, getting into her taijutsu stance. Sasuke did the same, different stances but both just as focused. Ino and the girl dashed at each other and Sasuke jumped at the other one, his hands already cupped over his mouth. They didn't know where the Naruto clone went off to but they knew that it would be fine.

* * *

'Naruto' sealed his blade, a headless body of a cloud ninja in front of him and he took the scroll, wiping blood off of his face.

* * *

 **This is the comeback chapter to Bound By Tails! Hope you enjoyed, this chapter was a bit different I know, there was more talking than action but I had a good time writing this, make sure to leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	7. S1 Ch7: Definition of Ninja

The last chapter I posted got quite a bit of feedback so like I said, I appreciate all reviews, even bad ones. (It makes me feel popular!)? So stop in for more of this story.

* * *

 **Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails**

 _"I'll tail that grass ninja and see if I can find any information on Orochimaru."_

 _"Give that blonde idiot a bit more credit." Sasuke said and Ino frowned but nodded._

 _Naruto's clone cleaned blood off of his sword, taking the scroll from a headless cloud ninja body and resealing his sword. In his eyes was a cold emotionless look._

* * *

 **Now** -

"We are being watched." Neji whispered to Tenten and Lee, his byakugan active. "By that one team with the Uchiha on it." Lee stood quickly. "No Lee!" Neji yelled but it was too late.

"Sasuke Uchiha! Step out and fight me!" Lee said and said 'Sasuke' did as he was told, getting into an unfamiliar stance, being Naruto's normal stance.

"Damnit Lee." Tenten muttered, standing up along with him and Neji soon followed. "We were going to be sneaky about it but you can't do that can you?" Tenten asked and Lee sweatdropped, bowing and apologizing to Tenten. Neji just kept a glare focused on 'Sasuke'. The problem that he could see was that the other two just stayed in the trees.

"Be careful." Neji said and Tenten looked at him a bit confused. "Lee, keep an eye out for stray kunai. Neji said and Tenten understood. "We are surrounded, I don't think they are looking for a chance to attack but I would be careful." Neji said and Lee nodded. Neji turned to the other two on 'Sasuke's' team and watched them carefully.

Lee got into a battle stance and 'Sasuke' vanished before his very eyes. "W-What!?" He yelled out and his battle instincts kicked in, making him back flip as a kick soared through the air where his head used to be. 'Sasuke' didn't let up though, dashing in and throwing a right cross that was blocked by Lee who then spun and kicked 'Sasuke' in the chest, making him fly back but still land on his feet and smirk, readying himself a bit more.

"One hell of a kick you got there." 'Sasuke' said and Lee nodded.

"I train myself in Taijutsu like no other!" 'Sasuke' readied himself again and it was Lee's turn to attack. He vanished and appeared before 'Sasuke', a kick already readied for 'Sasuke's' face. 'Sasuke' leaned back and grabbed Lee's leg, throwing him over his shoulder before jumping after him and planting his fist into Lee's gut, sending him back to the ground. Lee quickly recovered and 'Sasuke' landed before being attacked suddenly by Lee who had dashed and planted his fist into 'Sasuke's' gut, making him stumble back but Lee wasn't done. He kept up his attack, kicking 'Sasuke' into the air and appearing behind him.

The other two stepped out from behind the treeline. "You got her Ino?" 'Naruto' asked and 'Ino' nodded. Tenten pulled out a sealing scroll and unsheathed a sword from it. 'Ino' smirked and mimicked her.

"Another Kenjutsu user?" Tenten asked and Ino got into a familiar style to Tenten but she could never get the hang of it. "Fox?" 'Ino' nodded with a smirk and beckoned Tenten. Tenten dashed at her and 'Ino' was a bit surprised by the gracefulness and skill of Tenten. She blocked Tenten's overhead slash with her own sword before quickly maneuvering behind Tenten with a spin and slashing upward at her back.

Tenten also spun however and her blade seemed to make streaks through the air as she parried 'Ino's' blade, making her lose a bit of balance and going in for the last attack, stopping in front of 'Ino's' neck.

"I win." Tenten said and 'Ino' grinned.

"Yes you do. Too bad I'm not real." She said and she vanished with a puff of smoke.

"What?" Tenten said and her jaw hung open. At the same time Neji struck 'Naruto' in the chest and he poofed into smoke. A second later 'Sasuke' flew past them and burst into smoke against a tree.

"They were clones?" Neji said aloud and Tenten frowned at him.

"You couldn't tell? I thought your Byakugan could tell the difference?" Neji shook his head.

"Those were solid clones with their own chakra systems." He said and Lee frowned.

"Then that wasn't a real fight!" He yelled and Neji shook his head. "Yosh! Next time I will fight the real Sasuke!" Neji shook his head.

"The problem is that I think whoever made those clones was a single person, and it wasn't Uchiha, he didn't use the Uchiha stances. They all used the same stances and fought similarly, one thing I noticed was that they didn't use any ninjutsu. Uchiha would have used a fire jutsu and that Yamanaka would have used some kind of mind jutsu. It was like they were getting a feel for us."

"So what you're saying is that their real goal was to get a feel for our abilities?" Neji nodded, he was glad he had taken care of his quickly but they had a feel for Lee and Tenten's abilities. "Whatever, makes no difference, let's go." Neji said and they nodded, jumping away.

* * *

"What the hell?" Shikamaru said aloud, he was currently being greeted with the sight of 'Naruto'. "So you chose this strategy huh?" 'Naruto' nodded and Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome." He said, drawing a kunai and he smirked, cutting a rope next to him. From the ground came a massive torrent of kunai and shuriken, making the clone burst.

He heard Kiba grunt and another clone burst with a fang over fang. Soon after he heard Sakura yell out with a power punch that burst another clone. "This is like a game of chess for him." Shikamaru muttered and closed his eyes. "Let's get going!" Shikamaru said and Kiba frowned but nodded. Sakura sighed and readjusted her glove before nodding and jumping away with them.

* * *

"Hinata." Was all Shino said and she nodded, activating her Byakugan before blushing and Shino sighed. "Naruto." He said and 'Naruto' landed in front of them. "Not Naruto, a clone." He said and Naruto nodded, getting into a battle stance and Choji stood up.

"This is _Naruto_ guys." He said and he attempted to grab Naruto with an enlarged hand but Naruto vanished and planted his elbow into Choji's gut.

"Not impressed." Naruto said and he turned to the other two. He beckoned Hinata. Hinata frowned and took her stance and rushing at him. He easily avoided her blows, already able to tell that Neji was definitely much faster. "C'mon Hinata, you can do better than this." 'Naruto' said, pushing her back and she furrowed her brow, reactivating her Byakugan. "That's more like it." Naruto said and after a small trade of blows he got poofed.

Hinata sighed and a small blush came to her face. "I dealt with the other two." Shino said and she nodded, deactivating her Byakugan. "Choji lets go." Shino said and the trio left toward the tower.

* * *

Naruto ducked in the shadows, a fox mask on. It wasn't an authentic Anbu mask but it was the one he got when he was younger. He finally found a use for it besides scaring away kids. Naruto listened in to the conversation of the three Grass ninja. "Yes Lord Orochimaru." Naruto's eyes widened as that name pierced his ear.

'That voice…' Naruto thought and he got a flashback to that masked ninja from the Yamanaka massacre. He felt his rage build but he was a ninja, he couldn't let it consume him. He was training for this exact thing. Naruto unsheathed his sword, he knew he couldn't fight Orochimaru by himself and that other guy was capable of exterminating the entire Yamanaka clan which even a hokage would have problems doing.

'I need to think of a plan… there is no way I haven't been spotted by them if that bastard Kakashi can spot me with little effort. There must be a way to alert the Hokage… Kakashi has those dogs and that would be really helpful at them moment. If only I had a contract.' Naruto thought and he remembered the lecture Kakashi gave about the summoning jutsu and what happens when you use it without a contract, you get the animal of which you have the most connection to. Naruto shook his head, the cloud of smoke would alert them before he could even start talking. Orochimaru wouldn't hesitate to rip his head off.

He thought about any creative ways to use his chakra.

'They know I'm here but are continuing the conversation anyway… there has to be a way… what about what mom did? She made a projection using only her chakra, granted there was a seal to store it in but still. Hmmm… maybe I can make some clones and disperse them, making my best effort to get away.' Naruto growled aloud and tried to find a way.

'I don't think I can get away without engaging.' Naruto thought and he stepped out from behind the shadowy tree. Facing him was the guy that worked for Orochimaru but not Orochimaru himself.

"So you are the one that did it." Naruto said. "You are the one that killed Ino's family, the Yamanaka?" Naruto asked and he began to chuckle, leaving himself open with his arms out, as if taunting Naruto to attack.

"That would be me, though Lord Orochimaru orchestrated the entire thing from the shadows." He said, reaching up and pulling off his blank white oval mask. "C'mon Naruto? You don't recognize me?" He asked and Naruto's eyes widened.

"Inoichi? Yamanaka?" He asked and he began to chuckle darkly, his neck started to glow and his body was covered in black chain like marks. "This isn't good." Naruto said and he readied himself with his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was ready to take this man's life if he had to. He received memory of all of the teams and those that he executed, telling him they had fifteen scrolls. "Ok…" Naruto muttered and he crouched low.

( **Naruto OST: Battle!** )

( **Insert Badass Battle Animation)**

Naruto dashed off his back foot at Inoichi with the intention to take his life in one fell swoop. He cut at his neck in an attempt to behead him but Inoichi pulled out a kunai and blocked the slash, kicking Naruto three times in the gut, sending him back, coughing up blood. "Gah!" Naruto yelled and Inoichi laughed loudly. He dashed after Naruto who stood up and jumped into the trees, onto a larger branch.

Naruto ducked under a kick from the older man before kicking him in the chest hard enough to make him be lifted off the ground and skid back on his feet. Naruto then turned and dashed off, his sword in his hand but his hands behind his back in the ninja run. He was forced to stop however as Inoichi appeared in front of him and punched him in the face with a crack, sending him flying back into a spinning motion. Naruto landed on his feet and slid back.

Naruto readied himself and he sliced at a kunai that soared toward him, managing to parry it, throwing it to the side but Inoichi was already in front of him, a hand planted in Naruto's gut, lifting him into the air and Naruto coughed up blood, his pupils dilating. He gasped out in pain as Inoichi grabbed his leg and spun, slamming him into the trunk of the tree.

He then spun again and threw Naruto off the tall tree, allowing him to free fall in the air, toward the ground. Naruto hit the ground pretty hard and was sprawled on the grass but Inoichi didn't let up. Naruto's body bent irregularly around his foot as he dropped onto Naruto's gut. He then grabbed Naruto by the neck and lifted him slowly off the ground. Naruto grunted as a kunai impaled him in the gut and twisted.

"You little demon brat." Naruto growled and punched him in the face, his eyes now dyed a deep red hue.

"Thank's Kyuubi." Naruto muttered and he wiped his chin. He picked up his sword which was on the ground next to them. Naruto began to pulsate red chakra and he vanished from the view of the older ninja.

"What!?" Inoichi yelled and his eyes widened as his view began to move, eventually he could only see from the floor and he couldn't feel his body. Naruto sheathed his sword after waving the blade to the side, flicking the blood onto the grass. He then looked over his shoulder and a single red eye with a black slit in the middle peered through the darkness.

Inoichi realized that he had been severed in half and began to scream in pain. Naruto raised his sword and stabbed him in between the eyes, through his brain, ending his life. "What the hell?" Naruto asked aloud as the body of Inoichi morphed into a real grass ninja. "I need to get to Ino and Sasuke!" Naruto yelled and he vanished in a shunshin.

* * *

"Gah!" A scream of pain was heard as Naruto stabbed another genin through the chest and he turned around to see his two shocked teammates. Naruto vanished and they could see a trail of light where his eyes were. Screams were heard as Naruto killed them and took their scroll. Naruto then jumped up into the trees.

He heard a scream with his enhanced hearing and his eyes widened. He disappeared with his speed and was going from tree to tree much faster than before. Naruto made it to a clearing and he landed in front of Ino who had a kunai in her arm and she stood in front of a downed Sasuke with strange purple chakra coming from every pore of his body.

" **Ino. What happened here**?" Naruto asked in a deep voice that promised pain to three sound ninja.

"N-Naruto… that grass ninja! He attacked us! He bit Sasuke and now these guys want to fight him! But he won't wake up!" Naruto nodded and he stood up straight, reaching up and unsheathing his sword from his sheathe on his back, the black metal shining brightly in the moonlight. Dosu could see his reflection in the metal.

"Zaku." Was all he said and said sound ninja nodded, giving a cocky smirk and reaching toward Naruto.

"Sonic Splicing Wave!" He yelled and he unleashed a torrent of wind at the trio. Naruto channeled chakra into his blade and it began to glow red, he cut the wave of wind in half and with the explosion he created, he dashed toward Zaku, placing his hand on Zaku's stomach. "What!?" He yelled out in confusion and Naruto whispered a jutsu.

" _ **Air Palm**_." Naruto whispered and Zaku's screams were drowned out by the snapping of bones and flesh exploding, his entire torso was completely destroyed and blood dripped from the leaves and petals of trees. Naruto then turned to Kin and Dosu and they began to back up. Dosu channeled chakra into his gauntlet, sending waves of sound at Naruto to break his eardrums.

Naruto appeared behind him suddenly however and Dosu's eyes widened. Ino was in front of Dosu and she saw the air get slashed down the middle of Dosu. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched his body peel in half from the top of his head to his groin. His eyes rolled back and his innards ran free.

She wanted to scream and stop Naruto but she wasn't sure if she could get any sound out or even if she did, would he even listen? Naruto slowly walked toward Kin who back up with tears of her own falling. "P-Please Don't…" Naruto stopped for a moment and he raised his sword. Ino reached out to Naruto but all she could do was watch as Naruto beheaded Kin and he swiped his sword to the side, throwing the blood off before sheathing it.

"Let's go to the tower, we need to get Sasuke treated." Naruto said and all Ino could do was nod.

* * *

"Good job team seven!" Iruka yelled, bursting from the scrolls. "Huh?" He asked as he absorbed the team. Sasuke was out cold, Ino seemed to be frozen in fear, and Naruto, who was completely calm, was covered in blood. Iruka explained everything to them and they were quiet besides Naruto making small talk with Iruka.

* * *

Naruto made his way through the hall of the building, he needed a shower. He walked past Neji's team and they all stared at him with shock written on their faces. He was covered in blood and didn't seem to be bothered too much.

"Why are you staring at me?" Naruto asked, looking over at Neji, giving a cold blank stare that shook him to the core. Neji gulped and before he knew it he stepped back, sweat pouring down his face. The cold emotionless look that Naruto was giving him, was shaking him hard.

"Neji?" He heard Tenten say and he shook his head, regaining power over his body and he glared at Naruto, or what would have been Naruto, but he was gone. Neji sighed and realized that he had unconsciously activated his Byakugan, maybe that's why Naruto stopped, maybe he was expecting an attack.

"Calm down Neji." He heard and he turned to his sensei which had just arrived. "He's an ally. Though I get younger Kakashi vibes…" Guy said. "And that's _never_ a good thing… or maybe it is? Depends on what you consider a real ninja."

"I can answer that for you." An elderly voice spoke up and a man with an X scar on his chin with half of his face covered stepped out of the shadows. "A ninja is an emotionless killer that will put their life on the line for the sake of the village, and they will follow any and all orders from the leader, be it the Tsuchi, Rai, Ho, Mizu, and Kazekage." The man said and Guy 'tsked'

"That's your opinion. I believe a ninja is someone who protects those that they care about, someone who will die for their friends and has the motivation to continue on. Ninja is a skillset, not a mindset." Guy said and the man shook his head with an old chuckle.

"You are an example of why our village is dying." The man said coldly and he faded away as if he was never there in the first place.

"Who was that Guy-Sensei?" Lee asked and Guy shook his head.

"That was Danzo Shimura, a dear friend of the Hokage." Guy said and Lee nodded. He didn't understand what his sensei and the older man were talking about but he knew it had something to do with Guy's ninja way.

* * *

Ino hugged her knees to her chest, a sad far away look in her eyes. It wasn't like she was scared of blood or death, she was actually just scared of the look in Naruto's eyes. Ino sighed and mentally compared the two Naruto personalities. "One's a loveable emotional idiot who would do anything for me no matter what…" She said, thinking about when she first moved in with Naruto. "And one is an emotionless machine with alternative motives and a sword that he isn't afraid to get dirty." Ino said and she began to weep silently. "The _ideal_ ninja." She said and she laid down, getting some rest.

She had a long day the next day, they were going to recieve their opponents for the finals.

Hayate coughed and declared that there was a bucket and everyone would take a number. After all of the candidates took one he declared the fights.

 **Starting Round**

Naruto Uzumaki vs. Rock Lee

Sasuke Uchiha vs. Neji Hyuga

Temari of the Sand vs. Shikamaru Nara

Gaara of the Sand vs. Tenten

Ino Yamanaka vs. Sakura Haruno

Hinata Hyuga vs. Kiba Inuzuka

Shino Aburame vs. Choji Akimichi.

Kabuto Yakushi vs. Kankuro of the Sand

 **Advancing**

Winner of number one VS. Winner of number two

Winner of number three VS. Winner of number four

Winner of number five VS. Winner of number six

Winner of number seven VS. Winner of number eight

 **Semifinals**

Winner of 1/2 VS. Winner of 3/4

Winner of 5/6 VS. Winner of 7/8

 **Finals**

"The final two will fight in the final round. Remember, there will be a fifteen minute break in between the rounds and this will take place in a month from now. Make the most of it and come back the strongest you can. Congratulations on making it this far, but this is only the beginning." Everyone absorbed the information that they had just heard and looked at each other.

Naruto stared blankly at Lee who grinned back and held up a thumb. Ino and Sakura exchanged a smirk but then Ino felt sadness crawl up her spine. Hinata looked at Kiba nervously and he grinned back. Tenten stared down Gaara but he just walked away. Temari sneered at Shikamaru who sighed and stretched a bit. Kankuro and and Kankuro exchanged grins. Choji stared at Shino who looked back at him, analyzing him. Sasuke and Neji looked at eachother and Neji's glare was intense. Sasuke was the one who broke the silence surprisingly.

"Can we trade Naruto?" He asked and Naruto surprisingly broke his cold demeanor, surprising even Ino who smiled at him returning to normal. Naruto began laughing and Sasuke deadpanned.

"You know we can't do that Sasuke, besides, I feel like if I fight Neji." Naruto's cold look returned. "I'll end his life." Naruto said and everyone besides the sand ninja and Kabuto shivered, including Shino. "Now, who's hungry!?" Naruto yelled with a large grin, holding up some instant ramen. Ino began to giggle and Naruto gave a confused look. He then began to laugh however and Sasuke sighed in annoyance.

"Loser." Was all he said as he took a bowl.

* * *

 **Well that's the end of the second exam. It was quick but I think I got the point across.**


	8. S1 Ch8: First Rounds!

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails**

 _Naruto stared blankly at Lee who grinned back and held up a thumb. Ino and Sakura exchanged a smirk but then Ino felt sadness crawl up her spine. Hinata looked at Kiba nervously and he grinned back. Tenten stared down Gaara but he just walked away. Temari sneered at Shikamaru who sighed and stretched a bit. Kankuro and and Kankuro exchanged grins. Choji stared at Shino who looked back at him, analyzing him. Sasuke and Neji looked at eachother and Neji's glare was intense._

* * *

 **Now**

"You can't train me?" Naruto asked Kakashi who shook his head. "Why not? I thought we were still going over the requirements for Anbu?" Naruto whispered the last part and Kakashi sighed before answering.

"You know it yourself why Naruto, you know who is trying to infiltrate the village. He placed this _thing_ on Sasuke and I need to train him to use it so it doesn't consume him." Naruto sighed and nodded. "However. I have another person to train you, an elite jounin actually. You might have some past problems with him though, due to contact with Konohamaru." Naruto immediately knew who he was talking about.

"Ebisu." Naruto said and Kakashi nodded. "He was selected to train the grandson of the Hokage right? That little brat…" Naruto muttered. "I'll accept the help, I need as much training as possible and I don't want to train with Ino because she is in the finals too." Naruto said and he rubbed the back of his head. He already knew Ebisu was in the room listening.

"Let's get to training." Naruto said and he looked at Ebisu who readjusted his glasses.

* * *

"Lee! Again!" Guy yelled and Lee saluted. His body ached and he was in a lot of pain but he knew it was necessary.

"Fifth Gate!" Lee yelled and he pulsed with energy. "OPEN!" He yelled and he opened the gate.

"Again." Guy said and Lee nodded, repeating this. "Also Lee… I need to talk to you about your fight." Guy said and Lee nodded. "That kid, Naruto was it? He is a problem, a big one." Guy said.

"I'll beat him Guy-sensei!" Lee yelled and Guy stared at him for a moment.

"Good, then Lee! Repeat!" Guy yelled and Lee roared.

* * *

"I-Is this really necessary Neji?" Tenten asked Neji who nodded. She waved her arm and massive torrents of flames came from a bunch of machines. Neji then began to spin.

"Rotation!" He yelled and he spun for a while, canceling the flames. He was exhausted when the sphere died down though. "AGAIN!" He yelled. The Uchiha were skilled with fire jutsu so he had to get good at stopping them.

* * *

Ino repeatedly beat at a training dummy with a fierce look in her eyes. Despite the fierce look and the repeated powerful punches she was lost in thought. 'What is up with him? I know he killed that one ninja to save me but it seems like he was completely unfazed by the gruesome death from before.' Ino thought. 'Even still, he still is obsessed with me and even put me over the position of Hokage. His smile is adorable and his body is drop dead sexy. But can I be with a guy that kills to kill? It was unnecessary to kill those three sound ninja, and in such a gruesome way too.' Ino thought and she winced as she remembered the wind user of the group literally being exploded by Naruto.

'Despite that though…' His smile flashed through her mind. 'I feel that Naruto is still Naruto.' Ino thought and she subconsciously hugged herself. 'Please don't leave me Naruto.'

* * *

"Is this really all you got, Kiba, Sakura?" Kiba's mother asked as she knocked both of them back with a simple back hand. "Well no matter! By the end of this you will be untouchable!" She yelled. She rushed both of them and Sakura yelled out in pain and fear.

* * *

"Hinata…" Hiashi whispered as he watch Hinata push herself more and more, until her hands bled. He stepped into the clearing. "Hinata, my daughter. I will be helping you train for the time being, don't disappoint me." Hiashi said and she bowed to him.

"You are to be fighting at your best when the tournament comes around." Hiashi thought about the Inuzuka and how to counter them. "You need a way to counter the Inuzuka." Hiashi said and she nodded. "Here's how."

* * *

"Chidori!" Sasuke yelled, piercing a rock with his hand.

"Good, again." Kakashi said and Sasuke nodded, reactivating the jutsu.

* * *

"Kekeke… this should be fun." Orochimaru said while reviewing all his intel about the fighters. He was already in the Kazekage's body. "I wonder what Sasuke-kun is up to." He said and a silver haired familiar boy began to chuckle.

"Probably training with Kakashi." Kabuto said and Orochimaru began to laugh as well. "Has the alliance been confirmed?" Kabuto asked and Orochimaru nodded.

* * *

 **-One Month Timeskip-**

"Let the first match of the annual Chunin Exams begin!" Genma yelled and he chopped down in the air.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Lee said and Naruto grinned at him.

"Rock Lee…" He responded and he got into his taijutsu stance. "Let's have a good fight." Naruto said with a massive grin that caught Lee a bit off guard but Lee quickly responded by grinning back and giving him a thumbs up.

"YES!" He yelled and he looked up at Guy who nodded to him. Lee threw his weights off and he got into his stance.

As soon as a leaf hit the ground Lee was gone. "He's fast." Naruto said and he leaned his head to the side, avoiding a punch from Lee.

"What!?" They heard from Guy himself and Naruto smirked, he punched Lee in the gut and used his own momentum against him to throw him back. Lee landed on his feet and readjusted his stance.

"Naruto-san. You are truly a strong fighter." Lee said and Naruto smirked, Beckoning Lee. Lee vanished again and Naruto's eyes widened as he was impacted under his chin. He began to fly into the air and he felt himself get locked in by Lee's seemingly iron bandages. Naruto and Lee began to sail toward the ground at sonic speeds.

"Primary Lotus!" Lee yelled and slammed Naruto into the ground, causing a massive cloud of smoke and dirt. Lee landed and didn't drop his stance. Naruto wasn't there when the smoke cleared and Lee jumped back to avoid at kick from Naruto, this surprised Guy again as Naruto had seemingly shrugged off the first gate.

"Guy-sensei!" Lee yelled and Guy responded with a loud "Yes!" Lee crossed his arms and Naruto felt a chakra energy spike from him.

"Kyuubi." Naruto said and his eyes took on a reddish hue. "Let's do this." He said and he got into an unfamiliar stance. Ebisu was up in the viewing area and he smirked.

"You really think you need to use this?" He asked aloud and someone gave him a confused look. "The Fox Inferno Style." He said afterward and the person shrugged. "Just watch."

Naruto watched Lee with cautious eyes, examining every movement. Lee then vanished, not even leaving behind a trail of green light. Naruto stepped back and to the shock of Guy and Lee, Naruto dodged a roundhouse that was aimed for his face. He then grabbed Lee's leg and pulled him close, sweeping his leg and causing Lee to lose balance.

Lee twisted himself and kicked at Naruto's face again but Naruto leaned his head to the side and Lee's foot soared past his ear. Naruto then proceeded to readjust his grip onto Lee's neck and slammed him into the ground hard, creating a massive explosion. Naruto jumped back and he threw a kunai to the side of the arena, causing Lee, who was on the move to halt, catch the kunai, and have to dodge a series of punches from Naruto.

He leaned back, causing Naruto's punch to go past his face and it seemed like in slow motion Lee saw that it was more of a stabbing motion from Naruto's arm. Lee jumped back but Naruto ended up behind him somehow. Lee's eyes widened and his clutched his side as a blow from Naruto connected. He jumped away and Naruto watched as he looked at where Naruto's blow connected.

The area was burnt, like Naruto had burnt him with his hand. "This is bad." Guy said, he didn't understand Naruto's blows but he figured it was similar to Guy's own style where he could produce dragons with just his fist.

Lee winced and glared at Naruto's hand. He got back into his 'rock fist' stance and Naruto prepared himself. Lee opened the next gate and Naruto's eyes widened. He was able to follow Lee's movements but just barely. He leaned back and then back flipped to avoid a series of blows from Lee. Naruto saw a gap due to Lee's speed and as Lee came in Naruto slid to the side and readied his stance.

" _Foxfire._ " Naruto whispered and his eyes went wide as saucers as Lee's fist impacted his face. He knew Lee was good at Taijutsu but that counter was great. Naruto flew back but Lee didn't let up. Naruto was thrown forward as Lee kicked him in the back. Eventually after a bunch of blows Naruto found himself falling toward the ground, his body aching.

"I'm not done yet!" Lee yelled and Naruto found his body being yanked back up toward Lee by his iron bandages. "HAAAAH! Hidden Lotus!" He punched Naruto in the stomach and sent him soaring toward the ground. Naruto impacted the ground and sunk in easily about four feet, creating a large crater. Lee landed across from him and fell to a knee, the gates deactivated. Naruto used all of his strength to lift his arms and weaved through hand seals slowly.

"Shadow Headhunter… Jutsu…" Naruto whispered and Lee's eyes widened as a Naruto came out of the ground behind him, holding up a kunai to his neck. Naruto coughed up blood and the clone looked at the proctor.

"Naruto Uzumaki is the Victor!" Naruto grinned from his broken state and he felt himself be carried away on a stretcher.

* * *

After the battle Sasuke was the first one into the arena with a smirk as Neji made his way in second. Sasuke got into the signature Uchiha stance and Neji smirked, getting into the gentle fist stance. This was the fight everyone was waiting for.

"Let the second match between Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga begin!" Genma yelled and he chopped the air before jumping back. Sasuke watched Naeji closely, neither one activating their kekkei genkai. Neji dashed in first, he was a bit faster than Sasuke anticipated but Sasuke could easily keep up. Neji attempted to palm strike his shoulder but Sasuke got low and swiped his arm to the side before spinning and kicking him in the chest, making Neji roll back.

Neji smirked though as he made his way to his feet. "This will be better than I thought." Neji said aloud and he got back into his stance, his Byakugan activating. Sasuke smirked as well and activated his Sharingan which was two tomoes now. Neji awaited this time and Sasuke led with a kunai and a few shuriken. Neji used the kunai and stabbed through both the shuriken.

Neji spun and caught Sasuke's wrist but Sasuke twisted and broke Neji's grip, pushing him back and already going through hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled and he unleashed a large fireball basically point blank at Neji but Neji began to spin.

"Rotation!" He yelled and he spun with high velocity, blowing the fireball out of existence. He then jumped forward and Sasuke was a bit caught off guard but his sharingan allowed him to read Neji's movements. He slipped to the right quickly to avoid a chakra strike from Neji and he planted his shin into Neji's gut, making his eyes widen. Neji stumbled back and Sasuke continued his assault, shocking Neji, literally.

Sasuke was channeling lightning chakra through his blows, not quite a chidori but it was electrocuting Neji and increasing his speed and power. Not to mention that every single one of his blows was well timed and aimed to disable and put Neji down. Neji took a heavy right hook to the face and he responded quickly, parrying Sasuke's follow up punch and then striking in three chakra points on his torso.

"I win." Neji said and he went to follow up.

(Lee theme) (Beautiful Green Beast)

Sasuke vanished. "What!?" Neji felt himself fly into the air from a heavy uppercut. Sasuke followed up by appearing above him and Neji attempted a rotation but Sasuke caught his arm. "No!" He yelled and Sasuke punched him in the gut hard, making Neji bend around Sasuke's fist. Sasuke had opened the first gate and Guy could tell, so could Lee. Lee watched with shocked eyes as Sasuke then pulled Neji up and threw him to the ground but Sasuke was already below him.

Sasuke spun and planted his heel into Neji's face, sending him into the ground harder. Sasuke then flipped back and Neji slowly made his way to his feet. "You… bastard…" Neji said through heavy breaths. He could barely feel his arms from Sasuke shocking the nerves. "You still haven't won though." Neji said and he got back into his stance. He blasted toward Sasuke and Sasuke easily dodged Neji's blow, elbowing him in the face, making Neji's head blast back and making him sputter blood. Sasuke spun and kicked him in the chest, making him fly back. He landed on his back and his headband back on.

"It it over?" Sasuke asked and Neji shook his head, standing up and letting Sasuke see his cursed mark.

"My clan… it is better than your clan… or thats what I would say if my clan wasn't cursed and cruel." Neji said and he began to explain his caged bird seal. Once he was finished Sasuke began to laugh.

"So you feel like a bird in a cage? Big deal." Sarcasm dripping from his voice. "My clan died! I have no family! At least you have people to love you! You think Hinata hates you!? You think she wants to inflict pain on you!?" Sasuke used his hand in a motion to get his point across, swiping the air. "She obviously cares about you! So does that girl with the buns in her hair! So get off your goddamn pedestal! You say your clan is better but where has that gotten you!? You are here at my feet! The feet of an UCHIHA!" Sasuke said and he looked at Genma. "This fight is over proctor." Sasuke said and he began to walk away.

"This isn't over!" Neji yelled, already on Sasuke's back, ready to put him down with a deadly strike but his eyes widened. Sasuke had turned and stabbed him through the shoulder with a hand covered in lightning. Neji collapsed and had to be carried away from the battlefield. Sasuke made his way back to the stands to watch.

* * *

The next fight when as normal and Temari ended up winning due to Shikamaru surrendering. After that Tenten made her way into the arena with Gaara basically teleporting in with bloodlust in his eyes. He stood across from the girl and she watched him carefully. As soon as the fight began Tenten was on defense. She threw everything she had at Gaara to no avail and she got beaten by surrendering after he pushed her against a wall with his sand. He wanted to kill her but he knew he couldn't.

* * *

After that Ino was already in the arena before Genma could announce the names. Genma smirked as Sakura came from the stands and landed with an explosion of power. She stood across from Ino who smirked. Ino got into a new battle stance that Sakura had never seen before.

Her fist was out in front of her with her wrist facing up and her other one was an open hand at her waist with her palm facing Sakura and her arm bent behind her at the elbow. Her legs were slightly bent and Sakura could see the muscles flexing on Ino's open stomach. She had obviously been training her ass off. Sakura smirked however and got low, her hands like a boxers but her entire body hunched, ready to strike.

"Let the fifth match of the chunin exam begin!" Genma yelled and Ino vanished. Sakura's eyes widened. Ino was running so fast that even Naruto, who had just crawled his ass out of the infirmary to see her fight, was super caught off guard. She was running around Sakura so fast that she was kicking up dirt in a massive tornado. Sakura could keep up barely with her eyes due to the intense training from Kiba's mother but she was also extremely caught of guard by Ino's speed.

"That's my girl." Natsu whispered to himself as Ino sped up even more. Sakura's pupils dilated as Ino planted her fist into Sakura's gut and Sakura was slightly raised into the air just by the force of the blow. Ino felt her guilt crawl up her back from punching Sakura but she knew this was part of being a ninja. She repeatedly punched Sakura and ended the blows with a roundhouse that sent Sakura flying back but to their surprise Sakura stood up and wiped her chin with a smirk.

Sakura pulled on a pair of black gloves tightly and dashed at Ino, punching at her but Ino dodged her punch. Sakura's punch even impacted the air however, sending shockwaves through it and she led up with another quick punch. Ino put her arms up but Sakura's fist glowed blue and it soared past Ino's guard, hitting her in the stomach. Ino's eyes bulged out and she was thrown back with blood flying out of her mouth.

She landed and Naruto clenched his fists. "Come on Ino…" He said and Hinata watched this with a sad look but a small smile. She then directed her look at Kiba however who seemed to be solely focused on Sakura with a serious look in his eyes that she had never seen before on Kiba's face. He was usually carefree but he seemed to be concerned for Sakura.

Ino stood up slowly, holding her stomach and coughing heavily. "Holy crap Sakura. You got a lot stronger!" Ino yelled and Sakura nodded.

"I had too, you are definitely much stronger as well though." Sakura and Ino grinned.

"Well from here on out." Ino started and she pulled off the bandages on her arms, throwing weights off and she pulled the ones on her legs off. "We are going all out." She said and she tossed them to the side, creating massive holes where she tossed them. Sakura was a little shocked at her weights. But prepared herself anyway.

"But from this point on Sakura." Ino said. "You aren't going to hit me again." Ino said and she was gone. Naruto couldn't keep up with his own eyes. He could only see a blur of yellow and purple. Naruto smirked and Sasuke saw this.

"She took my advice teme." Sasuke nodded and he kept up with his sharingan but he was having trouble like Naruto. Sakura felt herself being impacted from all sides simultaneously. She yelled out in pain as time slowed down and in front of her Ino twisted from her side, her back foot looking like she was squashing a bug, her whole body twisting, power flying from her back foot all the way to her fist as she shot it like a rocket into Sakura's face. Sakura was sent flying back and imbedded into the wall, unconscious.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled and Kiba cursed aloud. After cleaning up it was Kiba vs. Hinata. They made their way down.

* * *

When the fight began Hinata activated her Byakugan and she avoided a flying elbow from Kiba easily, striking him three times in each of his arms. Akamaru came from her back but she immediately began to spin, countering him. "Rotation!" She yelled and Naruto watched her with fascination. She was faster _and_ more precise than Neji, he knew she wasn't that strong when he had fought her last time.

"You may have a problem dealing with her." Naruto said and Ino frowned. She watched closely. Hinata's arms sped up immediately after her rotation ended. Kiba's eyes widened as she palm struck him thirty two times and the struck Akamaru seven times in the span of half a second. She then bowed and the fight was over. Kiba and Akamaru were carried out and Naruto was amazed by her speed. Hinata was _fast_.

* * *

"Uhhh next round. Choji Akimichi vs. Shino Aburame." Genma yelled and the two participants made their ways down. Choi was a quick wipe out for Shino due to him only being physically powerful so Shino just stripped him of his chakra.

* * *

Kabuto was nowhere to be found so Kankuro automatically advanced. Genma announced the small break and everyone used this time to recuperate. Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other the entire time, like they were in separate corners of the ring. Ino watched them watch each other, already knowing this fight was going to be intense. "Oh boy." She muttered and Naruto shot her a grin. Sasuke just smirked.

"I've been waiting to fight you since we were assigned to the same team." Naruto said and Sasuke nodded.

"I wanted to fight you even before that." Sasuke said and Naruto chuckled.

"That's suicidal teme." He said and Sasuke grew a tick mark.

"You goddamn loser." Sasuke said and they began to butt heads. Naruto seemed to be recovered but he still had bandages on his arms and some on his chest. Naruto missed the fight with Sasuke and Neji as well so he couldn't have a feel for Sasuke's abilities but Sasuke knew Naruto's speed and his taijutsu. He was probably already watching it with his sharingan as well.

"Sasuke." Naruto said and he got the bird haired boy's attention. "I won't lose." Naruto said and he held out a fist. Sasuke looked at it for a second and he smirked, holding his out and bumping fists with Naruto.

"Well I'm not gonna lose so there might be a problem." He said and Naruto grinned. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him closer, whispering into his ear and Sasuke's eyes widened at whatever Naruto said but he nodded with a serious look afterward.

"Let's do this Teme." Naruto said and they both made their ways into the arena on opposite ends.

So far the only thing that had been seen as far as ninjutsu goes is a fireball so far, so this match was exciting. Naruto got into his original stance and just watched Sasuke. Sasuke mimicked him with his own Uchiha stance and they readied themselves.

* * *

 **That's a wrap on this chapter guys! I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review and tell me what you think, though the fights were a little short I think it was required for the serious and harder fights to begin. I think it's pretty obvious who's gonna make it to the finals but we'll see.**


	9. S1 Ch9: Naruto vs Sasuke and Gaara

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails**

Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Ino, Gaara, Temari, Shino, and Kankuro are advancing. Naruto and Sasuke stepped into the ring to fight.

* * *

 **Now**

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other, their eyes focused on every movement the other made. Genma watched them as well. He could tell that they had history. It seemed like they were both really determined to beat the other person. "You ready Sasuke?" Naruto asked and Sasuke smirked.

"You should be more worried about yourself Naruto." He said and they both slipped into their battle stances. Naruto knew that this was going to be a bit more difficult than the last match. Naruto watched Sasuke closely and Sasuke waited patiently. Both of them could hear the cheering from the crowd.

Genma lowered his and Sasuke vanished. He appeared in front of Naruto, roundhouse already flying. Naruto dodged the roundhouse rather easily and channeled chakra into his palms, slamming them into Sasuke's gut, making his eyes widen. Sasuke flew back and landed on his feet after flipping once. He slid and glared at Naruto. His eyes flared a red hue and his tomoes spun.

Naruto smirked and Sasuke rushed him again. He ducked another roundhouse only to have to roll backward from a hammer fist and Sasuke didn't let up. He slid along the ground, kicking up dust and appearing behind Naruto. Naruto put up his forearms to block Sasuke's blow but in slow motion it seemed to fly past his guard.

Sasuke smirked, expecting a connection but Naruto leaned back at an awkward angle before kicking at Sasuke's gut. Sasuke blocked the kick but used the power of the kick to throw himself back, already weaving through hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled out, shooting a torrent of flames at Naruto who also weaved through hand seals.

"Wind Style: Air Bullet!" Naruto yelled and he palmed out at the fireball, sending a torrent of wind toward the flames that connected and despite natural physics, the fire was extinguished, as was the wind. Sasuke didn't let up though.

"Phoenix flower jutsu!" Sasuke yelled and he rapid fired balls of fire at Naruto who took off to the side to dodge them and he weaved through them with little to no effort. Sasuke smirked however and pulled back, biting down hard. Naruto was gripped by ninja wire and suspended. "It's over." Sasuke said and Naruto smirked, bursting into smoke.

"A shadow clone!?" Sasuke yelled out and Naruto tackled him from the back, throwing him forward. Sasuke slid to a halt and glared at Naruto. He got back in his Uchiha stance and Naruto got back into his Fox style. Naruto began to weave through hand seals.

'Thanks for this Ebisu-sensei.' Naruto thought and he sucked in air.

"Water Style: Great Torrent!" Naruto yelled and suddenly the ground began to crumble, water coming from deep within and covering the ground for a moment before rushing toward Sasuke who put his hands up and used his chakra to stay put as the water rushed him. Naruto smirked and used his fox chakra to fog up the area.

"What is this!?" Sasuke yelled, the mist had chakra in it but it wasn't normal chakra, he couldn't see through it with his sharingan. Naruto dashed at Sasuke who didn't have time to react as Naruto punched him in the gut and then punched him three more times in the face, sending him flying back but Sasuke landed on his feet and wiped his mouth.

"This isn't good." Sasuke said and he looked around. He couldn't see Naruto. Sasuke readied himself and as soon as he felt Naruto's presence he jumped into the air and threw an explosive kunai down at the ground. It exploded and cleared the mist, throwing Naruto back as well but this was the perfect opening for Naruto. He crossed his fingers and one hundred copies of himself appeared. He smirked and they all began to barrage Sasuke with kunai and shuriken. Due to his sharingan he was able to dodge them but as soon as they were done throwing shuriken Naruto was on him, his fist in front of Sasuke's face Sasuke leaned to the side and slammed his hand into the water below them.

"Chidori!" He yelled and an electric current made every clone burst and the real Naruto jumped into the air. Sasuke jumped up after him and punched Naruto, ready to end the fight but Naruto gripped his wrist after being punched and twisted. Up in the stands Lee watched with wide eyes. Sasuke was trapped in ninja wire and Naruto began to spiral toward the ground.

He slammed Sasuke into the ground Naruto jumped back, almost positive that he had won the fight and when the smoke cleared Sasuke slowly pulled himself out of the hole, breathing heavily and barely conscious. Sasuke made his way to his feet and black flame like marks covered his skin. The hokage readied himself to step in but Naruto shot him a hidden look and he sighed, calling off all the jounin ready to pounce. Naruto readied himself with a smirk, his eyes turning a red hue.

"C'mon teme." Naruto said and Sasuke growled, vanishing. Naruto's eyes followed him and Sasuke's eyes bulged out when Naruto's fist met him midway, making his body bend irregularly around his fist, sending him like a rocket toward the wall of the arena. Sasuke recovered and used his chakra to stick to the wall, readying himself for whatever Naruto was planning, the only problem was that Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

"Where?" Sasuke face shot to the side from a kick that Naruto had planted to his face. Sasuke tumbled around the arena by the wall, when finished he couldn't stand up but Naruto made his way over to Sasuke and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"You wanna use that bastards power? Are you an idiot?" Naruto asked and Sasuke looked at him with a look Naruto hadn't seen for a very long time, a look of utter hatred. "Sasu...ke…" Naruto muttered and he looked away from Sasuke, dropping him. "Proctor, its over." Naruto said and Genma nodded, ending the fight. Naruto was cheered on surprisingly.

"Ok so on to the next fight." Genma began and he was about to announce the contestants but he wasn't able as the middle of the arena exploded and sand and sound ninja started to burst in. Naruto nodded to the hokage and he vanished, appearing in the Hokage's box.

"Lord Hokage, requesting temporary position, Anbu." Naruto said and the Hokage nodded.

"Do as you must, protect the village, Fox." Naruto nodded and he put on his mask before vanishing again.

* * *

- **Village Gate** -

"This would be so much easier with Inoichi!" Shikaku yelled and Choza agreed. They fended against a massive snake that was attempting to bust through the gate. Around them, their comrades were being overwhelmed and killed with numbers. A resounding 'shink' and a light was seen, instantaneously the snake's head was severed from his body and he burst into smoke. Fox landed on the wall of the village and swiped his sword, throwing snake blood.

Shikaku recognized those blonde locks anywhere. "Naruto." He said and Fox didn't respond, instead he crossed his fingers, hundreds of himself appeared and dashed off, ready to kill whoever necessary. "What exactly are you up to Naruto?" Shikaku asked aloud and he watched the other villages ninja drop like flies against Naruto's clones.

"He is becoming like that man…" Choza muttered and Shikaku nodded, knowing who he was referring to. A flash of a man with stress marks on his face and black empty eyes. He was in an anbu outfit with a mask that read 'Crow'. "Itachi Uchiha." Choza said and Shikaku sighed. "Whatever, no time to dwell!" Choza yelled and they got to work.

* * *

- **Village Academy** -

Iruka was being pushed back by a squadron of ninja and he groaned in pain as a kunai pierced his shoulder. The Anbu assigned was getting pushed back as well. She seemed like she was lacking the will to fight back. "Neko-san!" Iruka yelled and he thought it was too late as a blade descended toward her.

"Are you ok Neko?" Fox asked, the man that had attack her was in two pieces down the middle. She nodded.

"Thank you Fox." She said and he nodded.

"Protect the school, I'll handle the group." She nodded and she jumped back. "Wind Style: Cutting Edge!" Fox yelled and he jumped toward the group of sand and sound ninja. Within seconds they were all dismembered and blood rained down on fox, dying his hair red. "Iruka, go with the kids, you aren't safe out here." Naruto said and all Iruka could do was nod.

'What happened to you Naruto?' He asked in his mind and he went with the kids and Neko to hide during the invasion.

* * *

- **Somewhere Else!** -

"Gah!" Ino yelled as she was punched in the stomach by a masked man with a heavyset build. She felt all of her strength leave her body. She jumped back and was breathing heavily. Ino caught herself and stumbled a bit. She was trapped in the grip of another man and she wanted to scream out for Naruto but her mouth was covered.

"Mmph!" She yelled out and she struggled violently but her eyes went blank when the back of her neck was chopped, she wasn't unconscious but it was like she barely had any strength left. She was forced to her feet and she gasped as someone tore away her shirt. She screamed out as she was held down.

"N-Naruto…" She whispered with no strength as she felt her panties being pulled down. "NARUTO!" She screamed and she heard the familiar sound of a blade cutting through flesh. Instantly all of the men around her were cut down and she looked up. It was him. It was Naruto. He sheathed his sword and took off his mask, revealing worried blue pools for eyes. He ran to Ino's side, giving her his jacket and covering her.

"Are you ok Ino?" He asked and he hugged her tightly to his chest. "Please tell me you're ok…" Naruto said and he began to tear up.

"Naruto… you came…" Ino said with tears in her eyes already falling freely. She embraced him tightly. "You came to save me!" She yelled and Naruto hugged her even tighter.

"Remember what I said Ino…?" Naruto asked and she looked up at him. "Whenever you need me… I'll be there… in a flash." Naruto said and her eyes widened, a small blush slowly creeping onto her cheeks. Naruto eyes widened when she closed her eyes and leaned his. The kiss was cold at first but instantaneously Naruto felt his heat and passion for Ino come through ten fold. He kissed her back, just lips, he softly placed a hand on her face. "Ino…" Was all he said and suddenly his eyes widened.

"Naruto…?" She asked and he shook his head. He silenced her with a finger. He then panicked and picked her up bridal style, jumping into the air to avoid a massive wave of sand. "What is that?" She asked and he pointed to Sasuke who was breathing heavily in a tree across from a demonic looking Gaara with his entire body covered in sand and his eyes turned into yellow shuriken in two pools of darkness.

"This isn't good, Ino you have to grab Sasuke and get out of here." Sasuke heard this and growled at Naruto.

"Stay out of this Itachi!" Naruto's eyes widened and Sasuke's did as well. "I-Tachi?" He asked himself and he looked at Naruto. Next to Naruto was an outline of his older brother. "Go to hell!" He yelled and purple chakra consumed him. Naruto sneered and his eyes turned red with slits. He instantly chopped the back of Sasuke's neck and he collapsed, all chakra vanishing.

"Take him and go Ino, please be safe." Naruto said and he looked at Gaara. Ino wanted to say no but she knew she had no room to do so. Naruto placed his hand on his blade and sand shot at him.

"Uzumaki!" Gaara screamed and Naruto jumped away, landing upside down on a tree branch, crouched. He then vanished and appeared behind Gaara, cutting off his large sand tail, making Gaara scream in pain. Naruto jumped away, avoiding a torrent of sand shuriken. He weaved through handseals.

"Wind Style: Air Bullets!" Naruto yelled, throwing bullet after bullet at Gaara who growled and dashed through them, catching Naruto by surprise, He slammed into Naruto's gut and he coughed up blood. Naruto landed on his back and he looked around for his sword. It was nowhere in sight.

"This is bad…" Naruto muttered and he got into his stance.

"UZUMAKI!" Gaara screamed. Naruto jumped into the air to avoid Gaara's massive sand arm and he landed only to have to jump again. He then vanished from Gaara's sight and appeared under him. He kicked Gaara in the gut with an enhanced chakra kick and Gaara yelled out in pain but swiped Naruto to the side. Naruto landed and he growled.

His eyes then took on the red color again and he vanished, this time much faster. Gaara felt himself be lifted into the air from a punch to the back from Naruto and Naruto followed up with a series of punches that carried him further and further into air. Gaara yelled out in pain as the last blow Naruto came down with a heel kick to the top of Gaara's head. Gaara soared toward the ground and Naruto weaved through hand seals.

"Thanks for this temporary sensei Asuma." He said and he spat out a massive cloud of black gunpowder. "Fire Style: Burning Ash!" Naruto yelled, igniting it with a spark from two kunai. Gaara screamed in pain and Naruto thought that the fight may be over but he was sorely mistaken as he was thrown into the air by a large punch from Gaara into his gut.

Gaara then grabbed him and slammed him into the trunk of a tree. Naruto coughed up blood and Gaara began to cackle like a maniac. "DIE UZUMAKI DIE!" Naruto could hear the Kyuubi growling and he knew this wasn't good. Naruto jumped away again, feeling that at least one of his ribs were broken. He evaded sand shuriken but still gut cut. At this point he was running for his life.

"Come on Naruto… think a way out of this… there has to be a way to beat him." Naruto said aloud and then he crossed his fingers. "I need lots of fire." Naruto thought. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled and he had a massive amount of clones throwing explosive tags at Gaara as he fled to find a better solution to fight Gaara.

After a massive amount of explosions everything was quiet for a moment but Naruto knew it wasn't over. "Uzumaki!" He heard and Naruto swore that he was not ever going to let anyone call him that. A massive plume of smoke appeared in front of Naruto and his eyes widened when it cleared.

"A Tailed… Beast?" Naruto was left speechless. He looked around and tried to think of a viable way to deal with this guy.

' **Brat.** ' Naruto frowned. "What?" He asked and Kyuubi said something to him. Naruto nodded and jumped away from the larger creature. "This should work right?" Naruto asked. ' **Yes.** ' Was his response. "Ok let's give it a shot!" Naruto grabbed his gut and began to twist. "Kyuubi!" Naruto yelled and a massive plume of smoke consumed him, catching Shukaku a bit off guard.

" **Oh I see how it is!** " Shukaku yelled and he readied himself with his cheeks puffed out. When the smoke cleared Naruto was standing on the head of the Kyuubi with a serious look on his face and a look that meant pain.

"Let's do this!" Naruto yelled.

" **Right!** " Kyuubi responded and he dashed at the sand raccoon.

" **Wind Style: Air Bullet!** " Shukaku yelled out and shot a massive ball of wind at Kyuubi but Kyuubi jumped over it and opened his mouth.

" **Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!** " He yelled out and shot a massive fireball at the sand raccoon. Shukaku covered himself and he screamed in pain as the sand on his arms turned to glass. Kyuubi descended down toward him and tackled the sand beast. Naruto held on with his chakra and saw Gaara's body on Shukaku's head. " **Give him a good left hook for me.** " Kyuubi said and Naruto nodded. " **NOW!** " Naruto jumped off with a burst of speed and Gaara's eyes shot open as his head was nearly punched off his shoulders. He glared at Naruto and attempted to restrain him with sand but Naruto jumped over him before rushing in and punching him again. Gaara tried to restrain him again but this time Naruto channeled chakra into his fist.

"Gaara!" Naruto roared and he punched Gaara in the face through his wall of sand with a resounding smack. Gaara's eyes went blank and Shukaku vanished, leaving Naruto and Gaara to fall, right next to Naruto's blade. Kyuubi poofed into smoke as well and Naruto felt a piece of him return. Naruto landed on his feet but Gaara landed on his back and was motionless besides staring at Naruto as he picked up his blade.

Naruto stalked toward Gaara and his fear began to kick in. "No! Stay away!" He yelled and Naruto raised his blade, ready to end Gaara's life. "No!" Gaara yelled and he couldn't do anything.

"We're the same you and I." Naruto said, putting down his blade down. "I think if the roles were reversed and I was in your village, I would have turned out like you too." Naruto said and he frowned. "We both had it rough growing up, you had it worse than I did I assume but I can assure you of one thing." Naruto said and he helped Gaara up as his siblings made their ways into the clearing.

"Your brother and sister… they love you." Naruto said and Gaara stared at them Naruto handed them Gaara and his look turned serious again, he put on his mask and behind the eye holes they could see a cold stare. "Leave this village. If I ever see you again as enemies I will not hesitate to take your lives." Naruto said, sheathing his blade. They nodded hastily and fled the area.

"Back into Anbu mode." Naruto said.

* * *

- **On Top of the Hokage Tower** -

The Third Hokage was having trouble against Orochimaru and he was surrounded by a purple box. He was facing against both of the first two hokages and Orochimaru, he was doing pretty well too. "Stop this Orochimaru!" Hiruzen yelled and Orochimaru laughed.

"Its over old man! This barrier prevents anyone from getting in or out and your ninja are too busy to stop the people who made the barrier!" Orochimaru yelled, cackling. His eyes widened however as the barrier dropped. "No!" He yelled as he saw a two headed guy get both of his heads severed at the same time. "Sakon, Ukon!" He yelled, not concerned for their lives but concerned that his plan wouldn't be completed.

He then saw Jirobo get beheaded as well, soon after Kidomaru was cut in half from the shoulder to the hip. Tayuya attempted to resist and her skin turned dark but it didn't matter. Her head was cut in half, revealing the inside of her skull.

Fox then turned to the Hokage. He was too late however and he watched as Orochimaru and the hokage argued over Orochimaru's soul, eventually the Hokage crumbled and Orochimaru fled. "Lord Hokage!" Fox yelled, running to the older man's side. "Gramps…" Naruto muttered, taking off his mask and crying.

* * *

- **That's a wrap for this chapter guys! Leave a review and tell me what you think-**


	10. S1 Ch10: The Mission, Sasuke

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails**

Naruto manages to save Ino and Sasuke from Gaara and even beat Sasuke during the chunin exams. Sasuke seems to have a look in his eyes that sends chills down Naruto's spine. Sasuke's curse mark seems to be acting up and getting stronger but Naruto doesn't hesitate to subdue him. Sasuke confused Naruto with Itachi and lashed out. Ino and Naruto KISSED! 3

* * *

 **Now**

Rain falling as heavy as the tears of those around the grave of their late Hokage. Sadness evident as a great friend of Hiruzen's gave a speech about him and his younger years. Danzo even gave a speech about how Hiruzen was a great man and that he had brought peace through war, only to die in another battle. Naruto could have sworn Danzo's gaze was solidly focused on him but he didn't want to say anything about it.

Jiraiya of the Sannin gave a speech about Orochimaru and he was focused on keeping Danzo from jumping into the Hokage's seat. After the funeral Naruto stuck around and stared at the late Hokage's grave with a blank cold stare. "Gramps…" He muttered. "It seems like that man is solely responsible for everything bad that's happened to those around me." Naruto said. "This weird ass mark on Sasuke's neck, the Massacre of Ino's clan, even your death… I swear on your grave, on my grandfather." Naruto said and his look turned into a determined glare.

Naruto then turned and walked away. Jiraiya watched him walk away with concerned eyes, before his sensei had died he wanted Naruto to be taught by the sage. "This is a good opportunity… I shouldn't let it go to waste." Jiraiya said and he frowned. "I can't let that scumbag Danzo get a hold on him." He then walked off in the direction that Naruto lived in.

* * *

Naruto walked into his home that he shared with Ino and he saw her on the couch crying. Naruto sat next to her and pulled her into a soft hug. Her eyes widened. "Naruto?" He nodded and he pulled her closer to himself.

"Ino… I-" The door was opened and an older man with white hair let himself in. He closed the door behind himself and he stopped abruptly at the sight of Naruto and Ino on the couch.

"Naruto Uzumaki! You are already a legend!" Naruto frowned and stood up, slowly unsheathing his sword. This man seemed to have an overwhelming presence, kind of like Orochimaru. "Put your sword away, I'm just here to talk. My name is Jiraiya the Gallant, I am the Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku." Naruto's eyes widened. He was the old man's student? Naruto instantly sheathed his sword and knelt down on one knee.

"I apologize Lord Jiraiya." Naruto said and Jiraiya shook his head holding up his hand.

"Don't worry about it Naruto, I'm actually here for a reason, I would go but that Scar Faced bastard will nab the Hokage's hat if I do. I have a mission for you, Fox." Naruto nodded and he looked at Ino.

"Ino, I need to talk to this man alone, Classified information." Ino nodded and went into another room. Naruto nodded to him.

"Here is all the information I have on Tsunade, the Slug princess. You are to go to the place she was last spotted and find her. I don't care how, you just have to persuade her to come back to the village, she is to be taking the place of The Fifth." Naruto's eyes widened and he frowned. Soon after however he nodded and accepted the scroll. "Take this as well, this is the scroll that contains one of the fourth hokage's jutsu, take this and master it." Naruto stared at it for a moment. He was excited but he knew it was part of the mission. He took both scrolls.

"I managed to preserve and Anbu outfit for you, you have to create the mask using your chakra but you are temporary Anbu at this point so take this gear, get changed, and go. I will provide all necessary funding for the mission." Naruto nodded and took the last scroll.

He unraveled it and Jiraiya left.

Naruto got dressed in the traditional Anbu gear and he decided that he would mold the mask later after he became permanent or at least, joined Anbu. Ino walked into the room and Naruto smiled at her. "I have a mission Ino." He said and she frowned. "I can't tell you as it's classified intel but I can tell you that I'll be back. Love you~" He exaggerated the last part and she blushed, looking away. He grinned a toothy grin before his look turned serious.

"Be safe Naruto. I don't want to lose you." Ino said and he nodded.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He said and he walked out of the door before vanishing with a gust of wind and a single leaf. Ino felt herself tearing up but didn't know why, she really didn't want to see him leave but was that a real reason to cry?

"I wouldn't worry about him. Are you his Girlfriend?" Jiraiya asked and Ino jumped a bit. She shook her head.

"No… he's just a really close friend of mine…" She said and Jiraiya nodded. Ino turned toward him. "Are you hungry Jiraiya-Sama?" Ino asked and he tapped his chin for a moment before nodding with a large grin.

* * *

Sasuke growled from his hospital bed, he was in so much pain and he had just found out that Naruto was given a solo mission. He rubbed his temple and went to sit up. The door to his room slid open and a man with white hair red markings around his eyes walked in. He was wearing a white toga and black pants tucked into red sandals.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Lord Orochimaru is looking forward to you coming to him. Let us go." He said and Sasuke glared at him, scowl evident.

"You work for Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked and the man nodded.

"Yes. My name is Kimimaro and I am the holder of a special kekkei genkai that Lord Orochimaru unlocked for me. I am here to develop your seal on your neck and take you to Lord Orochimaru." Sasuke shook his head.

"Looks like we are going to have a problem then because I refuse." Kimimaro sighed and Sasuke's eyes widened as his skin turned a dark brown.

"I didn't want to have to use force but I will if I have to." Kimimaro's eyes widened as a curved kunai was placed at his neck.

"Step away from my student. Now." Kakashi said and Sasuke smirked. Kakashi burst into smoke as he was pierced with a large amount of bones that now protruded from Kimimaro's back.

"This is a pain, I have to warn Orochimaru that you are not being tainted by the mark." Kimimaro said and he turned around, vanishing just as Kakashi burst through the door.

"Who was that?" Kakashi asked and Sasuke shrugged.

"He said something about going to join him and Orochimaru." Sasuke said and he laid back down. Kakashi sighed and sheathed his kunai.

"I need to keep a better watch on this room." Kakashi said and he sat in a chair in the room. "Things are going to hell since Naruto left, it's taking all of Jiraiya-sama's will to stop Danzo from becoming Hokage." Kakashi said and Sasuke nodded. "I just hope he's okay, I have faith in his power but his mental state seems to be getting worse." Sasuke frowned and looked down.

He got a flashback of Itachi and growled. He then remembered just how much stronger Kimimaro had gotten with the use of his curse mark. Kakashi focused on his favorite book and Sasuke got lost in thought.

'If I go with that snake bastard then I get power, power is what I need to kill that bastard…' Sasuke thought and clenched his teeth. 'Itachi…'

* * *

 **That's a wrap? I think the chapters are going to be a little bit shorter but get more from one arc. Stop in for the next chapter and leave a review on this one.**


	11. S1 Ch11: Progress

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails**

Naruto gets re-promoted to Anbu and is sent on a mission by himself to bring Tsunade of the Sannin back to the village to take the place of the Fifth Hokage while Jiraiya holds of the bastard that is Danzo Shimura. Meanwhile Sasuke and Kakashi have a run in with Kimimaro of the Sound Elite and he tries to persuade Sasuke to go to Orochimaru, Sasuke is now lost in thoughts of Itachi, Naruto, and revenge.

* * *

 **Now**

Fox read through the info on Tsunade from on top of a tree branch and he frowned. It said she was last spotted in a village far west from Konoha. He tied the scroll and put it away in his pouch before opening the next scroll. He frowned at the name which literally meant 'Spiraling Sphere'. He followed the directions with tips from Kyuubi but the fox said he was incapable of such a jutsu due to their chakra molding together, something about the texture of the chakra. Fox was a little upset at this but he also knew that he could experiment with the jutsu.

Fox attempted to create the jutsu and he got slime in his hand. He frowned and attempted it again, this time adding more chakra. The slime seemed more solid now and even had a sharp edge. Fox attempted to slam this sharp slime into a tree and to his surprise it cut through easily, stabbing all the way through the tree. Fox focused on his hand and frowned. If he could add wind chakra to the slime it could become a deadly assassination technique with the speed and sharpness.

He was actually curious why it was turning into slime though. He was spinning his chakra violently and all it did was collapse and condense on itself with a pale gray color. Fox channeled wind chakra into it and slammed it into a tree. The tree was stabbed all the way through and Naruto broke off the slime like a blade. He frowned and did this a few more times. 'I need to test this on real people.' Fox thought and shook his head.

"For now I need to complete the mission." Fox said aloud, jumping away in a different direction. Little did he know that the scroll in his hand was reacting to his DNA. It began to glow before stopping. Fox didn't notice this and just continued jumping.

* * *

"Tsunade, I'm here to make you a deal." Orochimaru said, his purple arms hanging limply at his sides. "The old man did this to me and I want you to heal my arms." Tsunade of the Sannin stared at him for a moment. Kabuto stood behind him and had a smirk on his face. Tsunade stared the snake in the face.

"What do I get in return?" She asked with a stoic face and subtle aggressive voice.

"What other than the men you loved the most in life? Dan and Nawaki." Orochimaru dropped that bomb and Tsunade froze. "I have the ability to bring them back from the dead permanently but I need my arms to do that." Silence filled the air and Tsunade eventually broke it with a sigh.

"I'll think about it, give me a few days." She said and Orochimaru grinned. "Now get out of my sight you snake bastard. Shizune! Let's go, I need a drink." Tsunade said and Shizune nodded hastily, a little bit intimidated by Orochimaru and Kabuto. They made their way away from the snake duo and Kabuto spoke up.

"Do you think she'll do it my lord?" Kabuto asked and Orochimaru gasped in pain but then laughed a bit.

"I _know_ she'll do it. That woman is depressed and hates her village." Orochimaru said and Kabuto nodded.

"Then shall we take a rest in a nearby area?" Orochimaru nodded and followed Kabuto away.

* * *

Kakashi found himself tied to a cross and was repeatedly stabbed by Itachi for seventy two fake hours before falling unconscious in front of Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai. Itachi stood across from the remaining three and Guy rushed him only to be stopped by a man that resembled a shark. "Kisame, Naruto is not in the village. We head out immediately." Itachi said and Kisame groaned.

"But I really want to shave them into shreds." Kisame said in an anime pout voice. Itachi shook his head.

"Wait until we find Naruto, then you can have some fun." Itachi said in a monotone voice. "I have feeling he will be a bit more difficult than the others so far." Itachi said after and a barely conscious Kakashi began to chuckle, almost coughing up blood. "What's so funny Hatake?" Itachi asked.

"Naruto… he isn't going to be easy for you two to handle… he's on a whole new level…" Kakashi said remembering the spar after the battle that he had with Kakashi. Kakashi made the mistake of not immediately revealing his sharingan before.

* * *

Kakashi stood across from Naruto with his hands in his pocket. "A spar?" Naruto asked and Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, I need to evaluate whatever you need to improve on an or what you are great at. Not to mention I am a bit excited to see how far you have come, remember, you have to come at me with the intent to kill Naruto or else it won't be effective whatsoever." Kakashi said and Naruto nodded, his face shifting into his analytical battle expression.

Kakashi waited for Naruto to make the first move and his eyes widened when Naruto dashed at him. Kakashi was a bit surprised by the speed of his attacks and the power didn't fade either. He was capable of holding Naruto off but he was lowly being pushed back by a flurry of slashes from Naruto's blade. He used his kunai to slide the blade to the left and he got a small flashback of Zabuza as Naruto spun and kicked him in the chest.

Kakashi slid back and refocused his attention but Naruto was gone. Kakashi jumped to the side to avoid a kunai and turned, blocking a kick from him and grabbing his foot, pulling him closer and punching him in the gut. Naruto's eyes widened and he burst into smoke. "Shadow Clone?" Kakashi asked before he felt a small rumble and jumped into the air to avoid Naruto who had come from the ground below him. Kakashi flew through the air and flipped onto his feet, facing Naruto.

He blocked a punch from Naruto and responded with a kick and rather than blocking it, Naruto redirected it and continued to fight. He palm struck at Kakashi's chest but Kakashi angled his body to avoid the blow and elbowed Naruto in the face. Naruto's eyes widened and he stumbled back before bursting into smoke as well. "Another one?" Kakashi asked and he made a few of his own.

"Let's see how you fair against this." Kakashi's clones were burst and he was blasted back by a torrent of wind. Naruto came from the sky and Kakashi rushed in to go on the offensive but Naruto jumped back and slid on his feet, walking on the water. Kakashi followed after him, jumping into the air with the intention to kick Naruto under the surface of the water but Naruto caught his foot and redirected him, kicking him in the chest.

Kakashi slid across the surface of the water and pulled out a kunai as Naruto rushed him. Kakashi parried a slash from Naruto and kicked at him but Naruto ducked and came up with an upward slash toward Kakashi who leaned back and dodged it, spinning again an kicking Naruto away. Naruto slid along the surface of the water before rushing Kakashi again. Kakashi crossed his forearms blocking a kick and pushed Naruto back.

Naruto landed on one hand and threw himself back at Kakashi with a double kick that lifted him off the ground and threw him back onto the grass, still on his feet. Naruto was already on him however and Kakashi didn't have time to react as Naruto had his blade on Kakashi's throat. Kakashi sweat dropped at the cold and murderous look in Naruto's eyes. He sighed and backed up.

"I thought I was going to have to remove my weights for that, thankfully you didn't raise you're headband." Naruto said with another sigh. Kakashi stared at him with wide eyes and eventually calmed down a bit. He sighed.

"You have definitely gotten much better, I would have been done there due to underestimating you. You can use that to your advantage though." Naruto nodded and bowed to Kakashi. "You still need to work on your simplistics though. Your footsteps are too heavy."

* * *

Itachi frowned at Kakashi who seemed to be lost in thought. "Whatever, let's go Kisame. We need the ninetails." Kisame nodded and they left, leaving all four jounin senseis broken and sweating.

* * *

 **That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I didn't include the fight between the Akatsuki and the Jounin senseis because it's cannon and I haven't done anything to change it. I did include the parts that were different though, like Kakashi being beat by Naruto. This is just to show how far Naruto has come though. As always, leave a review and tell me what you think, this story is so close to breaching 500 Follows and 100 Reviews.**


	12. S1 Ch12: Itachi and Kisame

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails**

Naruto progresses on his mission smoothly, confused about the 'Rasengan' and the four jonin senseis struggle against the might of Itachi Uchiha and Kisame who wields a large sword on his back; Samehada, the sword that shreds and eats chakra. Kakashi has a flashback of himself assessing Naruto's skills.

* * *

 **Now**

Kakashi sat up in his hospital bed with a gasp, kis mask not on and shirtless. He saw Guy stand up. "Ah. Kakashi, are you ok my eternal rival?" Guy asked and Kakashi nodded but frowned. He had a sinking feeling that Naruto wouldn't fight Itachi.

"Guy, I need you to do me a favor." Kakashi said and Guy frowned.

"What is it Kakashi?" He asked and Kakashi sighed. He pressed a hand to his head, trying to remember where the sighting for Tsunade was. He knew that if _anyone_ could catch up to Naruto, it was Guy.

"It has to do with Naruto, I need you to go to where the slug princess was last sighted, there have been reports of snake attacks and of men with clouds on their clothing. I am worried for him." Kakashi said and Guy nodded.

"I will do so Kakashi but in return! When I get back we are going to fight!" Guy yelled and Kakashi laughed. Guy chuckled as well. "Lee!" He yelled and suddenly his clone appeared in the room.

"Yes sensei!?" He yelled.

"Watch over Kakashi for me." He said and Lee nodded, saluting. Guy then dashed away, leaving an awkward atmosphere between Kakashi and Lee.

* * *

Sasuke dashed from tree to tree, headed toward wherever Naruto was. He heard that the senseis were beaten by Itachi and Itachi was after Naruto. Something about that made Sasuke really angry. He wasn't going to let Itachi get Naruto, no matter what, he had lost too much to his brother, he wasn't going to lose anymore.

Sasuke landed on a branch and looked down as some footstep tracks on the branch. They seemed to be heavy footsteps, meaning that they were most likely Naruto's. Sasuke followed them.

* * *

Fox sighed and pulled off his mask.

Naruto set aside his mask and laid on the bed with his hands behind his head. He was going to rest for a few hours at the hotel. He heard a knock on his door. "Yes?" He asked and he got a simple response.

"Room service." The voice was deep and hoarse. He had seen most of the staff on the way to the room and they were all women.

"No thanks." Naruto said, grabbing his mask and sword, readying himself to attack. He wasn't surprised where a large bandaged sword shot through the door. His eyes instantly turned red. He didn't notice it at the time but in his eyes were black four pronged stars. Naruto instantly went on the attack, severing the sword arm of the attacker. Naruto then kicked off of his chest and down the hallway, landing and scanning his two assailants.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked forcefully. Itachi stepped forward, ignoring a super pissed Kisame who was attempting to reattach his arm. He cursed and just picked up the sword with his other arm.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha." He said and Naruto's eyes shot open. He wasn't wearing his mask or hiding his emotions so Itachi could clearly see Naruto's face contort into one full of rage. Naruto vanished and Itachi followed him with his sharingan eyes. Naruto appeared behind Kisame and slashed at his neck. Kisame was a little caught of guard and the blade impacted his neck. Thankfully for him he had tough skin to the impact didn't cut him, it just rendered him unconscious.

"That's what you get for underestimating Naruto." Itachi said and he sighed. He activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and Naruto's eyes widened as he was fixed to a cross. "Now you are in my world, you will suffer seventy two hours of torture but it will be mere seconds in the real world. His eyes widened however as he looked around. '

He wasn't in his own world, he was standing face to face with a cage and behind the cage was a massive set of two red eyes with slits. The face got closer and Itachi's fears were confirmed as the fox opened its mouth and let out a roar that blew him back into reality. Naruto was on him already, bringing him sword down. Itachi jumped back and threw a few kunai. Naruto parried one and redirected the other two at him.

Itachi dodged them easily but then began to rapid fire shuriken at Naruto who began to move so fast that Itachi's eyes couldn't keep up with him. Every stroke of his blade was aimed for the shuriken and every one cut through metal, creating sparks and fire all around him. When Itachi finished he had to cover his face as he was blown down the hallway by a Great Breakthrough. He landed on his feet, going through hand seals.

" _Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!_ " He yelled and he blew a massive fireball down the hallway. Naruto dashed through the fireball after cutting it in half with a chakra slash. He then followed up with a volley of wind enhanced kunai and shuriken that Itachi dodged easily. Naruto's sword was what came next though. Naruto had dashed at him, attempting to stab him with his sword. Itachi spun and grabbed Naruto's wrist, throwing him away and kicking him. He then wove through hand seals again.

" _Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!_ " He yelled out and blew a dragon head made of fire at Naruto.

" _Wind Style: Wind Spear!_ " Itachi's eyes widened and he gasped out in pain as his fire was torn to shreds and his shoulder was pierced by Naruto's wind spear. It was nearly invisible but it was enough to pierce his dragon fire.

Itachi stared at Naruto for a moment. 'No other way.' He thought and he focused on Naruto's chest, sending chakra into his eyes. "Amaterasu." He said and Naruto's eyes widened.

Itachi used this time to grab Kisame and flee through a window. Naruto fell to a knee with fire burning. He sighed in relief as the fire fell off of him along with a glob of chakra slime Naruto had created at the last second. Naruto stood and in that moment Sasuke came into the hallway. Naruto stared at him for a while and Sasuke stared at him as well.

"What are you doing here Sasuke?" Naruto asked and Sasuke stiffened a bit.

"I heard Itachi was after you." He said and Naruto shrugged.

"I have no clue what you are talking about, I just got attack by some shark guy with a big sword. I assume you are here to assist… Guy-sensei?" Naruto asked and said man walked up from behind Naruto.

"Yes, Kakashi told me to come assist you but it seems you didn't need the assistance. The art of surprise is one hell of a tactic I have to say, and you used it perfectly Naruto. I will take Sasuke back to the village, complete your mission. Farewell Fox." Guy said, grabbing Sasuke and vanishing. Naruto grinned and put on his mask.

"Time to resume. I didn't get to rest but I will rest on the way to the next spot." Naruto said and he dashed away after sheathing his sword.

* * *

Itachi knelt in front of Pain who frowned down at him. "What happened?" Pain asked and Itachi frowned.

"He overwhelmed both of us, he surprised us with how strong he actually was and used my own attack against me, even Tsukuyomi couldn't do anything. I fled after using Amaterasu." Pain sighed and nodded. "He aimed for Kisame first, he aimed for the kill as well, if it wasn't for Kisame's 'Shark Skin' he would be dead right now. Naruto Uzumaki is on a different level, I want another chance to bring him in Leader." Pain nodded.

"Very well, I trust your judgment Itachi, I will leave this up to you but I think you should recuperate before you dash in recklessly." Itachi nodded. He had spent so much time doing nothing that he had grown significantly weaker and now he felt so weak, he had some training to do, even with his disease.

"Good luck." Pain said. "You are dismissed." Itachi nodded and left.

"I am looking forward for our next encounter Naruto-san, be prepared for me to go all out. I wonder why you didn't kill me though, you had plenty of time to kill me after reversing the Genjutsu… just what are you planning?" Itachi wondered aloud. "Whatever it is, I can't help but think that it will not be good for the future goal of the Akatsuki. But either way I wish you good luck." He said.

He faded into a burst of crows.

* * *

"Gah that fucking hurts!" Kisame Hoshigaki yelled as Kakuzu the immortal stitched on a new arm. When he was finished Kisame was deep in thought. How had that little brat gotten the better of him? He remembered losing track of the little brat and the four pronged stars he saw before getting his arm cut off.

"This fucking sucks!" Kisame yelled before making his way to his feet. "Though I do see an opportunity… that brat sures knows his way with a sword. Plus it seemed like he wasn't afraid to take a life… If I play my cards right I could have a new pupil… looks like I have a little side task." Kisame said and he slid off his Akatsuki ring. "I'll be taking a little time off." He said aloud and he walked out of the building, not saying anything to anybody.

Once outside and he then dashed away. Deidara made his way outside however and began to fly after. Him his eyes widened though when a large shark jumped out of the water and grabbed his bird by the neck, exploding.

"Crap…" Deidara muttered as he landed.

* * *

 **That's the end of this chapter! (Wrap) I hope you enjoyed and will stop in for the next one. Leave a review and tell me what you think of this chapter!**


	13. S1 Ch13: Odama Rasengan!

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails**

Naruto has a run in with the Akatsuki and manages to repel Itachi and Kisame due to the element of surprise and underestimation but Kisame seems to be plotting and Itachi seems to have some goals of his own.

* * *

 **Now**

Fox continued with his mission afterward and kept on the move besides a three hour nap in a tree. He ended up in a town famous for gambling. Tsunade of the Sannin was spotted here last and he figured that since she was rumored to love gambling, that she was here. Fox figured he would come out of Anbu mode and search the bars. He was ordered to 'by any means so he could just carry her back if he knocked her out but he would try to convince her first.

He henged into a different outfit and made his way inside of a bar. He had some asking around to do. He was immediately greeted with the sight of a blonde woman with pigtails being escorted by a woman with neck length black hair. "Lady Tsunade, you musn't!" She yelled and Naruto made his way over. He sat next to them and Tsunade went to interject but he spoke up first.

"May I buy you a drink Lady Tsunade?" Naruto asked and she frowned at him.

"Aren't you like… really young?" Naruto shrugged.

"I am but I'm also a ninja which means I'm an adult in the eyes of the law." Naruto said and she sighed, nodding.

"Then please, I have a headache." Naruto nodded and ordered some expensive Sake. Naruto sipped at his own as she went nuts on a seperate bottle. "Anyway… I know you aren't just here to buy me a drink…" She said and then her eyes widened. "Or maybe I still got it?" She posed provocatively and Naruto almost started laughing but he shrugged it off. "No? Then why are you here?" She asked, almost ready for Naruto's answer.

"Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya requests your presence in the village, he sent me on this mission and I am going to complete it by any means necessary. I am to escort, or drag, Tsunade back to the village, by any means necessary." Naruto said. "It would be appreciated if I didn't have to drag you back though." Naruto said and he noticed that Tsunade had a large smirk on her face.

"So why does Jiraiya want me to come back?" She asked, closing her eyes. "It's like a goddamn family reunion where nobody likes each other." She said and Naruto frowned.

"Reunion?" She nodded.

"Yeah, the snake met up with me earlier." Naruto's eyes went wide and he remembered the mark on Sasuke's neck. "Why? Do you have a personal problem with him or something?" Naruto sighed and shook his head.

"Lady Tsunade, everyone in the village wants that snake bastards head, he killed the third hokage." Naruto said and she nodded with a shrug that made Naruto's teeth clench. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" He yelled at her and her eyes widened. "He was you're teacher! Did you not care about him!?" Naruto roared.

"Who even are you brat!?" Tsunade yelled. "He wasn't the brightest guy in the world! You know that right!? He took the title of Hokage! That's a suicidal fools job!" Naruto growled and bit his lip so hard that he drew blood. He stood up and flipped the table over in the process, knocking over the Sake that Tsunade was enjoying.

She stood up as well. "Shizune." She said. "Let's go outside." She said and they all made their way outside. Naruto was a little ashamed of himself for losing his composure but this woman was infuriating. He clenched his fist and growled as she turned to him.

"Lets go right now brat, you and me." She said simply and Naruto dropped his henge, turning back into his Anbu form, throwing them both off a bit. "Anbu at this age huh? No wonder you reminded me of that guy so much." Tsunade said and she prepared herself.

"I'm gonna beat you with no hands." She said. Naruto frowned and readied himself. She dashed in and Naruto dodged a kick, feeling the air above his head get blasted by the force of the kick.

"Oh Crap…" He muttered and he made sure to dodge every one of her kicks. Naruto then spun and kicked her in the chest but she just took one step back before kicking him in the stomach, making his eyes widen and his lunch almost come back up. He flew down the street and landed on his back. He made his way to his feet and stared at that woman. He held out his hand and in his hand a blue ball began to charge.

Her eyes widened. He dashed at her faster than before but she effortlessly kept up with him. He got close and received a flick to the forehead that was even stronger than the kick she had given him. He tumbled back across the street and landed in a pile of rubble.

"Who taught you that you little brat? I need to have a word with Jiraiya. There's no way that you could learn that jutsu, it took years for the fourth hokage. You aren't worthy. It looked like you just threw together your chakra in hopes of an explosion." She said and she spat.

"Two… Days…" Naruto muttered, making his way to his feet. She frowned at him and he held up his fingers, his hair shadowing his eyes and blood leaking down from his forehead. "Two days and I'll master that Jutsu… it's a bet, if I win you come back with me to the village." Naruto said and Tsunade smirked.

"Fine. I'll even throw in my necklace brat!" Tsunade yelled and Shizune's eyes widened.

Naruto did something that made the current Naruto frown but the old Naruto would have grinned. He held out his fist and smirked. "Prepare to cough up your necklace granny. Also, I think you should mentally prepare yourself to become the fifth hokage." Naruto said and Tsunade began to chuckle.

"I am looking forward to seeing you fail." She said and Naruto grinned.

* * *

The next two days Naruto was nowhere to be found so Tsunade decided to go see Orochimaru. She made her way to the meet up point and everything about it seemed to scream not to go. It was dark outside and she could faintly smell blood but she didn't know why. She felt creeped out by the snake like man in front of herself when she arrived.

"So you agreed to heal me?" Orochimaru asked and she nodded with a determined look on her face but as she went to heal Orochimaru, Kabuto stepped in, going on the offensive. "You bitch!" Orochimaru yelled, a bit out of character, but he was pissed that she would betray him like that. Soon enough Kabuto was on the defensive however, as the sannin was too much for him to handle.

They ended up in a large field with rocks spread out and Orochimaru watched as Kabuto took on Tsunade and Shizune. He began to chuckle as he realized that this was probably going to be the death of Tsunade, and Jiraiya would soon follow. He smirked as Kabuto subdued Shizune and threw blood all over Tsunade. It was night time so the moonlight was shining a bit brightly but it was still dark out.

Suddenly the sky was filled with a blue light and everyone looked up suddenly, even Tsunade. "Giant…!" She heard and her eyes widened.

"RASENGAN!"

* * *

 **That's the end of that chapter. (Wrap) I hope you enjoyed and stop in for the next one!**


	14. S1 Ch14: Naruto vs Disabled Snake

**Now I'm gonna start doing this. Because my story is getting pretty** big.

* * *

 **Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Yessir Naruto is advancing at an abnormal rate!**

 **Exodus12345: I have a good plan for the Pain Saga. But I'm not even into shippuden yet.**

 **joey91731: Thank you, I hope I continue to live up to your expectations!**

* * *

 **Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

After Naruto gets into a rather heated argument and fight with the Slug princess, Tsunade, Naruto ends up making a bet, manipulating the Sannin and trains his ass off for two days but after going off the map Tsunade meets up with Orochimaru to kill him with a medical ninjutsu but ends up on the defensive from a skill jonin level ninja that used his blood against her, knocking out Shizune. As the battle seems to be coming to the end with Tsunade's life on the line, a blue light shines from the sky and a voice rings loudly.

"Giant RASENGAN!"

* * *

 **Now**

"B-Brat?" Tsunade asked. Naruto's back was to her. His gaze focused on Orochimaru, next to him was Kabuto, who was ground into the floor in a spiral motion, a giant crater around his mangled body. Naruto looked over his shoulder for a moment.

"Are you ok Lady Tsunade?" Naruto asked and she nodded. "Good, because you have a bet to pay up on." Naruto said. "But for now." He directed his gaze to Orochimaru and the only one that saw it was Orochimaru but Naruto's eyes took on a reddish orange hue with a four pronged black star in the middle of each of them going to the edge of his iris with every point.

He drew his sword and Orochimaru frowned, readying himself. He didn't know if Naruto had a kekkei genkai he had never seen but he didn't care at the moment. With Kabuto down, he was at risk. He had implanted a bit of his soul into Sasuke but he was also unsure if it would be there forever. The seal was an experiment, a prototype at best.

He readied himself with his sword hanging out of his mouth and crouched a bit. He didn't have any use of his arms and his body was tired. Naruto vanished and Orochimaru followed him easily with his eyes. Tsunade was completely caught off guard with Naruto's speed, he was at least three times as fast as before, she could still keep up with him easily but this was a bit extreme for a kid.

She slowly crawled over to Shizune, forcing her shaking to calm down a bit. She began to heal Shizune and prayed that she was ok because Kabuto has struck her intestines with his chakra scalpel. She sighed in relief when she realized it wasn't fatal. Shizune was like a daughter to her. She looked back at the battle and was a bit surprised because Naruto's blade seemed to be spewing blue flames every time it connected to Orochimaru's.

Naruto's blade soared through the air soundlessly, cutting through it easily and Orochimaru used his superior abilities and speed and strength to keep up, parrying the blade but even Naruto was a bit surprised when their blades touched and where they connected, Sparks flew out along with a burst of blue fire like it was trying to melt Orochimaru's sword.

' **Even foxfire can't melt the sky blade Kusanagi. Though I think you should take this blade for yourself brat.** ' Naruto heard Kyuubi in his head and nodded, confusing Orochimaru a bit but Naruto kept on the offensive. Orochimaru struck out with his tongue, making the blade stab at Naruto but he dodged and grabbed Orochimaru's tongue and attempting to slice it off but Orochimaru let go of Kusanagi to free himself and he kicked Naruto in the chest, wrapping his tongue around Kusanagi and sending it at Tsunade, much to the horror of Naruto and Tsunade.

In literal milliseconds Naruto was in the way of the blade, stopping it right before it connected to Tsunade, unfortunately the blade sailed right through the left side of Naruto's chest, cutting his heart. He instantly coughed up blood but Orochimaru began to have flashbacks as Naruto grabbed the snake bastard's tongue.

He then chopped it off with his sword and Kusanagi fell loosely to the ground. Tsunade began to panic, staring at Naruto's body and tears began to fall down her face for some reason. "N-Naruto?" She asked but there was no response. Orochimaru was over on the other side of the field, clutching his mouth with blood pouring out.

He bit his lip, shrugging off the pain and he began to walk toward the two of them, his killing intent shooting through the roof. Tsunade looked at him and Naruto reached up, grabbing the necklace. "Hey granny… this is mine right?" She heard and she felt herself warm up, her fear of blood fading.

"Save your breath!" She yelled, beginning to heal him but he shook his head and he stood up. "What are you doing!?" She yelled and Naruto held out his hand.

"Maybe you didn't see well enough last time granny but this time…" Naruto's hand began to glow and was surrounded by red chakra. In his hand a giant ball of blue chakra formed and Naruto took one step forward. Orochimaru took a small step back back as well. "This time you can witness first hand!" Naruto blasted off, Orochimaru was struck with the massive ball of chakra with Naruto roaring and he raised it, sending Orochimaru into the air with the attack, making him soar with the massive ball consuming him.

Naruto then collapsed. Tsunade instantly began to heal him, strapping the necklace around his neck, "Naruto…" Naruto coughed and she doubled her efforts. "I will **NOT** make the same mistake again!" She yelled and Naruto chuckled, making her eyes fill with tears.

"Granny Tsunade…" Naruto started. "I'm not gonna die here, I still have to take the hokage's chair from you." Naruto said before falling unconscious and Naruto finished being healed. Tsunade stood and watched in horror as Kabuto had crawled over to Orochimaru and they were now fleeing from Naruto, Tsunade, and Shizune.

"I will make sure that snake bastard pays…" Tsunade said. "From the position of fifth hokage!" She yelled and he heard Shizune giggle. Naruto began to laugh as well and as a trio they readied to depart back to the village.

* * *

 **That was a pretty anticlimactic battle but we all knew how it was gonna turn out. Naruto now has the Kusanagi in his grasp, making his blood rain killing spree much easier from now on I believe. (Wrap) I hope you enjoyed and leave a review telling me what you think about this chapter!**


	15. S1 Ch15: Bloodrain of Konoha, Anbu?

**Antex- The Legendary Zoroark: Naruto is going to have a problem with collecting things.**

* * *

 **Last Time on Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

Naruto manages to resolve his fight with a few rasengans and Tsunade decides to take the roll of the fifth hokage. Not much has been heard about the leaf village.

* * *

 **Now**

It had been two weeks since Naruto had returned to the leaf village with Tsunade and with a little pressure on Danzo, Tsunade took the Hokage's hat. For the first time in Naruto's life, it seemed like a peaceful walk through the village without glares and even some smiles. Naruto was a bit confused by this until Kakashi told him why.

* * *

 **-Flashback-**

Naruto arrived at the training ground that Kakashi told him to and to his surprise, Kakashi was there with a frown. "You're late." Kakashi said and Naruto internally smirked, formulating a funny plan in his mind, just to screw with the one eyes copy ninja.

"Uhh yeah sorry, you see umm… A black cat crossed my path and I just had to take the long way around. Then on the way here I got tasked with using some fire jutsu on a burning building and pulled a cat of a tree." Naruto said and Kakashi chuckled underneath his mask, giving Naruto his famous eye smile. Naruto mimicked this and Kakashi frowned underneath his mask.

"You little brat." Kakashi said but then be sighed. "Whatever." He deadpanned. He held up a sheet of paper to Naruto and Naruto frowned as well, taking the paper and reading it over. His eyes slowly got wider and wider with every word.

 _Uzumaki, Naruto. You are hereby invited to the annual test for incorporation into the Anbu Black Ops. With your abilities and loyalty to the village I suspect that you will make a great Black Op. With your achievements during the small war between Sand, Sound, and Leaf, you were promoted to chunin which is the minimum requirement to go and test for Anbu. You not only decimated platoon after platoon of Sand and Sound ninja, but you also rescued the Yamanaka princess, as well as the Uchiha prince. Then you lead on to beat down a tailed beast. Naruto Uzumaki, I expect great things, don't let us down._

 _-Shimura Danzo_

Naruto was almost in tears by the end of the letter and grinned. "So this is why the villagers have been looking at me with respect!" Naruto yelled and he grinned, his happiness and determination easily readable. Kakashi shook his head, causing Naruto to frowned and question him. "What?" He asked and Kakashi pulled out a familiar book to Naruto. "The bingo book?"

Kakashi nodded with a serious look in his eye. "Naruto, you must be careful on missions from now on, you will have bounty hunters out for your head now. You have been put into the bingo book." Naruto's eyes turned to saucers. His jaw slowly hit the floor and Kakashi nodded. "For a ninja, this is one of the greatest achievements, but it also comes with many risks and you must be aware of the danger. You will have people like Zabuza after you. I heard about a man that claims to be Immortal, his name is 'Hidan' he claims to be a bounty hunter. I haven't heard much about him lately but when he was loud, he was said to be at kage level, so be very careful." Naruto nodded with a grin plastered on his face, he was determined to read his entry.

He grabbed the book from Kakashi and ready his page.

 _Uzumaki Naruto_

 _Rank: A+_

 _Age: 14_

 _Height: Unknown_

 _Sex: Male_

 _Village/Nation: Konohagakure, The Land of Fire_

 _Summon Contract: Undetermined_

 _Teacher(s): Iruka Umino, Kakashi Hatake, Ebisu, Jiraiya of the Sannin._

 _Skillset: Hasn't been seen with very many diverse jutsu but will not hesitate to cut somebody down with a sword he managed to take from Orochimaru of the Sannin, the Sky Sword; Kusanagi. He hosts the Kyuubi no Kitsune so be on the lookout for red aura and tails._

 _Alias: Bloodrain of Konoha (Unofficial)_

 _Note: Has been reported to have previously unseen Kekkei Genkai (Doujutsu). Red Eyes with Four Pronged Kunai. Assuming that it has similar abilities to Sharingan. Has been reported to be the son of Kushina Uzumaki; The Red Death of Konoha._

Naruto was thrilled about being in the bingo book but wasn't this way too much information. It was like he was written out on paper. Jiraiya hadn't even taught him so what the hell? Naruto closed the book. But he had to admit one thing. "This is perfect." Naruto said and Kakashi nodded, knowing where this was going. "If I go off the map now, it will be a much bigger deal when I resurface. So I must pass that test and enter Anbu unnoticed." Naruto said with a sigh, placing a hand on his chin. Naruto nodded with his eyes closed.

"I think this is the perfect set up for me. I can go off the map and when least expected, I can destroy the snake. Kakashi-sensei." Naruto frowned and had a sad look in his eyes. "Changing the subject. Have you talked to Sasuke lately? He seems to be distancing himself and I am concerned… those eyes… they were full of hatred, I'm glad I managed to repel Itachi and that shark guy before Sasuke got there… what is Itachi planning…" Naruto seemed to trail off for a moment and get lost thought. "Whatever it is…" He spoke up and Kakashi frowned. "It all revolves around the snake bastard." Kakashi nodded.

"Truth be told, I am deeply concerned for Sasuke as well… the problem is that I don't know if I can bring myself to force him to stay in the village. You three have grown close to my heart and I would even consider you guys family at this point. But my real question is for you Naruto." Naruto frowned. "When the time comes…" Kakashi's eye sharpened. "Will you be able to take Sasuke's life for the sake of the village?" Kakashi asked and Naruto's eyes shot open in surprise at this question. He stuttered out a makeshift excuse.

"K-Kakashi-S-Sensei L-L-Let's not talk about that, It won't come to that. I believe in Sasuke. He wouldn't betray the village for revenge!" Naruto yelled, his emotions running rampant. Sasuke was his brother. He would break every bone in his body before letting that happen.

Kakashi sighed and nodded. "I hope so. Anyway, let's change the subject yeah? You came here for some training." Kakashi said and Naruto nodded. Kakashi instantly rose his headband. "Then let's begin." Naruto nodded and grasped the handle of Kusanagi on his back.

* * *

 **-Flashback End-**

Naruto now stood with his blank mask in front of the Anbu captain. He had on the standard Anbu gear and his emotionless mask underneath. He had Kusanagi at home as it was restricted because is gave him an advantage over the other contestants for Anbu. Naruto wanted to argue that it was like the battlefield, having an unfair advantage shouldn't matter since it wouldn't in a real fight. They were given blunt swords, kunai, shuriken, and had their Summon Contracts, provided they had one, disabled.

Lethal jutsu weren't permitted. This test was too easy. It was like going to a fight with armor on while they only had fists. Naruto didn't like it. He waited for his name to be called patiently however, they were all in a class that was full of shadows.

"Ox, Boar, Fox." Naruto stood along with his two makeshift teammates. He knew that he was most likely going to be doing solo missions most of the time as Anbu specialized in assassination and assassination is easier in smaller numbers.

"You're target is… _Snake._ "

* * *

 **Bombshell dropped (Wrap). I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I basically just grinded it out because its an intermission chapter. No action in this one. Don't feel bad if you left a review on the previous chapter, I was in a writing mood. As always, thank you for reading, leave a review and tell me what you think.**


	16. S1 Ch16: Fox, Boar, and Ox vs Snake

**Antex- The Legendary Zoroark: I really hope so too... but sometimes too much optimism can be a bad thing. If Sasuke does flee the village, will Naruto be able to bring himself to kill his own brother? Will he have to take the responsiblity of killing Itachi himself?**

* * *

 **Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails**

Naruto found out that he was famous now, getting respect from the citizens of Konoha and from those that have read the bingo book. Naruto gained the title Bloodrain of Konoha. He didn't understand the doujutsu description but he didn't care. It was the perfect set up for a new life and he was prepared for the test. He along with 'Boar' and 'Ox' are tasked with tracking and 'Assassinating' the target which has been identified as 'Snake'.

* * *

 **Now**

Unfortunately, the task took place in a place Fox never wanted to go again. He, along with Boar and Ox, were currently hopping from tree to tree through training ground Forty Four… the Forest of Death! Boar was a shorter but obviously older man with lots of power and a muscular build. He paled in comparison to that of Ox though. Ox was massive, easily three times the size of Fox.

The mission/task was relatively simple for them. They were to track and 'Assassinate' the trained Anbu 'Snake'. They had yet to take the time to stop and come up with a plan so Fox took the initiative. He raised his hand in a fist, telling the others to stop, much like 'Dog' had taught him to. They all stopped on a tree branch and Fox began to go over a plan that he had been trying to come up with over time.

"I have a plan, Boar, Ox." Fox said and Boar huffed in annoyance. He was clearly the cocky type and that wouldn't do well against a trained Anbu. "I will stay in the shadows until the necessary moment and you two will lead the charge, due to you larger builds and overwhelming strength." Fox stated and they seemed to understand. Boar went to interject but Ox held up a hand, instantly silencing the smaller Anbu in training. "Boar, I assume you are skilled in close combat and overwhelming your opponent head to head." Boar nodded hesitantly. "Ox, judging by your name, you use earth and water jutsu to overwhelm your opponents. You have power but are relatively slow am I correct?" Ox nodded.

"I'm 'Fox' due to my abilities to come up with tricks and plans, as well as my stealthy, quick, and predatory nature. I am skilled with my blade as well as some wind jutsu. I will attack from the shadows and when necessary I will end the fight." They nodded although Boar was a little reluctant.

"Ox will lead with a large scale earth jutsu with the intention to clear an area so that they can't flee into the trees or shadows. After that Boar will rush in and go on the offensive. In the meanwhile you will sit back and look for openings with your earth and water jutsu, as well as kunai and shuriken. Unfortunately we can't let loose due to have blunt weaponry. But I assume I just have to land a solid 'lethal' blow and we win." With the plan out of the way, they just had to find Snake, with Fox's natural sensor ability and Boars abilities to track this should be a relatively easy task.

Something told Fox that this was going to be much more difficult than they thought though so he stayed on his hardest guard. Fox hung back from the other two, replacing himself with an ordinary illusionary clone. Shit hit the hay really fast though as she was spotted and Ox immediately began weaving through hand seals.

" **Earth Style: Great Quake!** " Ox yelled from under his mask and immediately the area around 'snake' began to change shape and shake violently. Trees collapsed and hills flattened. Grass died, as did animals. After a few moments the jutsu was over and in the place where the jutsu took place, it was a massive desolate wasteland. Ox smirked under his mask as Boar rushed in, thinking that their strategy would work but it didn't Snake quickly beat down Boar and knocked him on with a chop from a blunt kunai.

She immediately rushed Ox as well and he was unable to defend himself again her onslaught of deadly precise blows. He too, found himself collapsing. From within the tree, hidden well, Fox sat with fear grasping his spin. Snake had taken care of his team easily. With no way to deal any real damage he was left defenseless. He watched as she released snakes from her sleeves. It was extremely quiet and Fox heard a faint 'ssss' but it was immediately in his ear.

He jumped off of that branch and landed, watching the branch he was standing on previously get chewed on by a massive snake. He unsheathed his dulled blade. 'This isn't good. The team would have been much more effective than one on one… though I do have more freedom to move by myself. Technically my other two teammates are dead so I can't pick them up…' Fox thought.

He frowned as he felt the cold steel of a kunai as his neck. It wasn't a blunt kunai either. He felt a bit of a cut on his neck and a trickle of blood traveled down the kunai. Snake's eyes widened however as that Fox burst into smoke."What?" She muttered out loud and the real Fox came down from a higher branch. He chopped down at her with his dulled blade but she jumped away and threw a few kunai at him. He released an Air Bullet but when it impacted Snake, she turned into mud.

Fox chopped with a chakra enhanced swipe, severing the head of a snake that had dove at him. He then turned and parried a kunai from Snake. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." He whispered under his breath and twenty of himself came into existence.

He jumped up into the trees and began to flee. Once he was far enough away he winced at the memories of the clones. They were brutally murdered by snake bites and kunai. At this point, the role of the Fox and the Snake were reversed. The hunter had become the hunted and he needed to figured out how to turn that around. He was bleeding a bit from a rather large snake bite on his shoulder, he wasn't sure when it had gotten there but he didn't care about that. He had to mask his scent and gain the element of surprise.

He looked down and along the forest floor below him was an ocean of snakes. Fox then looked forward and on the same branch as him was Snake, her arm out toward him. Fox let out a rather heavy breath and pulled out some ninja wire. From her sleeves came a massive group of snakes that caught Fox off guard but he reacted quickly. He jumped into the air and Snake jumped after him, ready to end the fight.

Fox channeled his foxfire into his fist and his eyes shone red with a black cross shuriken. He wove through her punches and kicks, as well as her precise shuriken stabs and snakes before punching her in the gut hard. She gasped out in pain as Fox's punched sent her like a rocket toward the forest below. Fox fell down toward her and she got up, attempting to jump away.

Fox threw a volley of shuriken at her, ninja wire attached to each one, pulling her into captivity tightly. Fox then landed and re-drew his sword, placing it at her neck. A chuckle was heard from beneath the mask of snake. "You pass." She said and he was happy under his mask but didn't show it externally.

"I can say that for you but I can't say that for the other two. That strategy was what caught me off guard but they both managed to screw it up. It's a shame." She said and Fox cut the wire.

"So as of this moment I'm…?" She shook her head.

"Not yet brat. We still have to get it finalized by Danzo." Fox nodded and Snake sighed. "Help me grab the other two and we'll make our way to Anbu headquarters." Fox nodded and they each grabbed a larger man before shunshinning away, toward Anbu headquarters.

* * *

 **Thats a (WRAP) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review and tell me what you think, this is a major turn of events for the story. This begins the build up of the 'Bloodrain of Konoha'. Naruto doesn't know about the weird cross eyes and he hasn't heard from Kyuubi lately. He probably would have been helpful on the test but he was quiet. Thanks for reading!**


	17. S1 Ch17: Fox in the Land of Snow!

**Last Time on Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

Fox, Boar, and Ox managed to overcome snake. What's in store for Fox?

* * *

 **Now**

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto looked up. He was in the traditional Anbu gear, his mask was off and he was bowing to Tsunade.

"Yes Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked and she sighed. She never liked being called Hokage-sama, especially not by Naruto. He was calling her grandma before and she didn't like it but she would have preferred that. "Before you give me orders can I make a request?" Naruto asked and she gasped. "I want to be informed every time Ino Yamanaka goes on a mission." Naruto said and Tsunade frowned deeply.

"Naruto, that's a little bit-" She stopped mid sentence at the look in his eyes.

"Please Granny." Naruto said and she sighed. She nodded with a serious look on her face and Naruto smiled kindly at her. This was something he rarely did nowadays. He never smiled anymore, and when he did it was usually forced. She could even see the stress lines forming, much like with Itachi Uchiha. He was becoming more and more like that man.

"Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure no Sato." Naruto nodded, as if telling her to continue. "You are hereby from this day, promoted to Anbu Black Ops. I have formed a team of you, Snake, and Neko for whenever you need a three man squad. For now you are to channel your mask and take your position." Naruto nodded and he lifted his mask from his pack, channeling his chakra into it. To no one's surprise it turned into a fox like mask.

"Now for your first assignment. I assume you have some attachment to team seven with Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha, and Ino Yamanaka?" Fox nodded. "Then you need to go and back them up. Fox, you are to go to The Land of Snow to assist Kakashi, Sasuke, Ino, and their new member, Kiba Inuzuka." Fox nodded and shunshinned out of the office.

* * *

Fox arrived in the land of snow. The boat ride had been long and grueling but he knew it was a mission and he had to follow through with it. He paid for the boat ride and they left. The first thing he noticed was the rubble. There were kunai, and shuriken everywhere. It looked like the snow melted in some places, signifying Sasuke's fire jutsu. There were odd shaped ice sculptures. "Ice Jutsu." Fox concluded and he vanished again, following footprints. He was wearing the traditional Anbu gear but he had a large winter coat around his shoulders.

After following footsteps he concluded that this entire area wasn't what it used to be. It was completely destroyed, likely by a large weight. Fox found some evidence of fins and concluded that it must have been a massive fish jutsu. He closed his eyes to think for a moment. Kakashi would of had them leave in a hurry, meaning that the assailants were still in the area but Kakashi and his team weren't. Fox nodded to himself and used his chakra to create a pulse, trying to sense anything out of the ordinary.

He was lucky that he was a natural sensor because as he did this he was forced to dodge a massive whale with a horn that came from under him. He was already weaving through hand seals. "Ninja Art: Disruption." Fox whispered and focused his genjutsu on the attacker. He was a bit surprised when it didn't work whatsoever and noticed what he was wearing. "Chakra Armor." He told himself and no words were spoken as Fox drew his sword.

"Who are you!?" The man yelled, his purplish ponytail swaying in the wind and his teal eyes filled with anger. They had just lost their target and were pissed. Fox was suddenly surrounded by two more ninja. One was a girl with mechanical wings and similar features but she had shuriken ponytails. The other one was a larger guy with a mechanical claw hand and a helmet that covered most of his head, but where his head wasn't covered, black tufts of hair flowed.

"My name isn't important." Fox said. "To a group of dead shinobi." Fox finished and the leader of the group smirked.

"Cocky are we? That's hilarious. I just took on Kakashi Hatake, what can you do-" He was cut off as Fox was behind him with a downward slash, meant to cut him in half. The man jumped forward. "Fubuki! Mizore!" He yelled out and they sprung into action.

"Ice Style: Ice Shuriken!" Mizore yelled and Ice shuriken formed. Fox crossed his fingers.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." He said and another one of himself came into existence, wordlessly throwing him into the air, to dodge the attacks. Fox spun a bit, maneuvering around a claw hand as it flew past him and he brought down the Kusanagi, cutting the wire for the hand. Fox then vanished before their very eyes and the only one that could keep up was the leader.

"Nadara-sama!" Mizore yelled out and Nadara smirked as Fox appeared before him. He swiped at him, creating a torrent of Ice but suddenly Fox was behind him and through the holes of the mask Nadara could see the murderous look in his eyes.

"Mizore! Fubuki! Run!" He yelled and in slow motion they watched his head come off of his shoulders, covering the snow in his blood and dying it red. Mizore took Fubuki's hand and they molded into the ice, gone. Fox wiped the blood of the sword and sheathed it on his back before dashing off again, leaving the body of Nadara lost to the blizzard that was creeping in.

* * *

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura sat around the beds of an unconscious Kiba and newly identified Koyuki Fijikaze, the princess of The Land of Snow. "This mission just shot from A to S in a millisecond." Kakashi said and he sighed. "I requested backup. Hokage-sama will likely send a group of Anbu to track us and help us." Kakashi said and Ino nodded but the silence was suddenly broken.

"Nope. Just me." They heard and all of their eyes widened, turning to an Anbu that was standing in the corner. He had blue eyes through the mask and they could see his blonde hair clearly. Judging by his voice he could only be one person, one person that went off the map a little over two weeks before hand.

"Fox." Kakashi said, curtly. Ino went to say Naruto but he held up his hand. "Ino when on missions, you must refer to him as 'Fox' Anbu are to be kept secret at all costs." Ino slowly nodded. Sasuke, who hadn't said something until his point, spoke up.

"So the idiot actually got the position then. I feel bad for whoever needs his help." He said with a smirk. All three of them were curious about his reaction but what he did surprised them. He bowed deeply.

"My apologizes Uchiha-sama. Hokage-sama sent me immediately after finding out that you needed backup. Next time I won't be so hasty to step in and help team seven." Fox said and Sasuke frowned, holding back a growl and just looked away. Ino found herself dumbfounded and didn't know how to respond to that. Kakashi just secretly had a smirk under his mask.

"If I may ask, the Hokage was very vague about the mission, could you inform me of the parameters?" Fox asked and Kakashi nodded.

"We are in charge of protecting The 'Actress' Yukie Fujikaze, but that mission was changed drastically when we came into contact with some Ice ninja after the princess of the land. 'Koyuki Kazahana'." Fox nodded, understanding the reason he was called in for back up.

"If I may ask Hatake-san, how many were there when you fought them?" Fox asked and Kakashi held up three fingers. Fox nodded.

"I see. Well I have slain one of them named Kadara in the previous land. The other two fled as he died though." Fox said and Kakashi nodded. He knew Fox was on a different level. Not necessarily on a higher one, Kakashi was sure he could win in a fight against him, but a different level. As in a merciless assassination level.

"Very well, we are glad to have your assistance Fox-san." Fox nodded and he looked at Kiba, dropping his composure for a second and chuckling a bit. Akamaru growled at him and Fox frowned under his mask.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NADARA IS DEAD!?" Doto yelled at them and they shivered in fear. "Hmph. Whatever, let's go." He said and they hesitantly nodded. He began to channel chakra into the rails.

* * *

 **That's the end of this chapter! (Wrap) Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	18. S1 Ch18: Fox Saves the Snow!

**Last Time on Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

(Fox) Managed to make his way to the land of snow, his first mission as an ANBU being that he had to back up Kakashi Hatake's team in the Land of Snow. Something told him that he would have to use brute force at some point on this mission. He met up with his previous team, all of them were in bad condition and Fox had already assassinated one of the ninjas that made them this way. Doto is planning something and has created a massive railroad and train.

* * *

 **Now**

Fox frowned as the information hit his ears that Koyuki was running from her duties as a princess. She had gone missing and Team Seven had been split up, looking for her. Fox decided that he would use his sensor abilities to sense her out. He wanted to have a word with her. Depending on how she answered, he might just knock on the front door of this "Doto"

Princess Koyuki was currently running down a tunnel. Under her feet, a few moments earlier, a railroad had formed and she could feel the chakra flowing through it. Her eyes widened as she heard a train and she turned around, running. Her eyes then went cold however. There was no way she could outrun a train. She just stopped and she awaited her fate.

"Are you seriously giving up that easily, Princess?" Fox asked, landing next to her and picking her up bridal style. "Come on, let's get you out of here…" He said and she looked up at him. He vanished with her in his arms and they were almost immediately outside the cave and to the side. The train flew by after a few moments and Fox set her down.

'So fast…' She thought. "Who are you?" She asked forcefully and he reached up. He pulled off his mask. "Why are you here!?" He frowned and took a slap from her.

"Princess." He said and she stopped. "Why are you running away from your duties?" Naruto asked. "This is so childish. I'll leave if you can give me a good answer as to why." Naruto said and his look hardened.

"If I go back I'll just be murdered! Those four are unstoppable! Kadara will kill you by himself!" Naruto shook his head and it wasn't necessarily a happy thing to say but with a sigh he held up the headband of said ninja.

"Kadara is dead. I killed him myself." Naruto said and he watched the look of shock come onto her face. "I want to help you, as myself and as an order from my Hokage. I will kill Doto." Naruto said and she growled. "Don't even start princess. No disrespect meant, but you are a brat and I have to take charge." Naruto said and he put his mask back on.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" Fox turned and looked at her, remembering his name in the bingo book. Fox frowned and his eyes glazed over, truth be told, he hated killing people but it was part of being a ninja.

"I'm the Bloodrain of Konohagakure." Fox said and she turned to the train which had stopped and Doto got out of the train. Fox weaved through hand seals as a kunai launching mechanism was revealed. "Princess, run and hide." Fox said.

Team Seven had just arrived and Kakashi pulled up his headband while Sasuke activated his sharingan. They both focused on Fox. "Earth Style: Earth Wall!" Fox yelled and a massive earth wall emerged from the ground, so large that it stood like a tower. It began to crumble under the pressure of thousands of kunai from the launcher but Fox seemed to know this was coming and he weaved through hand seals. Kakashi felt a massive amount of chakra coming from him. The wall crumbled and the kunai flew through.

"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled and Koyuki heard this but Fox just yelled out.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Naruto yelled and he forced out a gust of wind so massive that it turned around the kunai and sent them back at the people running the kunai launchers. Fox's eyes widened however as they stuck into the wood more samurai looking people came from over the hill.

"For KOYUKI!" An older man that Fox recognized yelled and the launchers started up again. Time seemed to slow down as Fox's eyes turned red, a cross in the middle. He wasn't able to save the entire battalion but he saved Sandayu. He was impaled with fifteen kunai in the back and he heard Ino scream. The bigger one, Fubuki appeared next to him and punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. Ino tried as hard as she could but the combined forces of Doto, Mizore, and Fubuki were too much for the ninja to handle directly.

An unconscious Fox and Koyuki were taken into a blimp and they reached out to it but were unable to grab it.

* * *

Fox awoke in a cage with something attached to his stomach and gasp for air. Kyuubi had managed to heal him before he got whatever was sapping his chakra onto his body. He looked through the cage and across the hall was the woman.

"So Princess, serves you right." Fox said humorously and she frowned at him.

"You're one to talk _Naruto_." She said with a noticeable smirk. Fox froze up a bit and sighed. "How are you even talking right now, you were stabbed by like thirty kunai!" She yelled, overexaggerating a bit but he sighed.

"I won't give up that easily." He said and he bent up, biting a file out of his sandals. He then began to work on the chain skillfully, letting himself down and feeling pain as he grabbed the gate. He was sent to the ground and waited. Soon enough the guards came in and he was happy that he still had his sword as he cut them both in half, taking the keys. He walked out and unlocked her cage.

"Come on Princess." Fox said and he held out her hand she frowned and shook her head. He sighed. "A mission is a mission." Fox said and she fell unconscious as he chopped the back of her head. He picked her up on his back and blasted through the compound, he couldn't use his chakra but he was still fast. He stopped in front of another guy, ready to kill him but Kakashi revealed himself and Fox nodded to him.

Kakashi and Fox, along with Sasuke and Ino made their way to the main room. Koyuki had woken up by this point and Kakashi had given her back the original necklace.

"So you've arrived, Bloodrain, Copy Ninja." Fox smirked as Koyuki was a little surprised that this was actually a known nickname. Then again, she did just witness him effortlessly decapitate two guards. Fox set her down and she was quick to run up the stairs. She handed Doto the crystal, much to the shock of everyone in the room.

"I wanted to be a princess when I was growing up… but I also wanted to be something else." She said and she pulled out a wakizashi. "AN ACTRESS!" She yelled, and she stabbed him in the chest but he just shook his head and picked her up by the throat. "N-Naruto… thank you… I knew that if I came back… I would die… but better to die for something… than to live for… nothing…" She muttered and she almost fell unconscious. Her eyes widened when the hand holding her was severed and blood sprayed everywhere.

Fox picked her up and jumped away. Doto screamed in pain and he clutched his arm before forcefully reattaching it completely with black ice. A fireball flew at him, courtesy of Sasuke and he jumped out of the way, weaving through hand seals with a wince. "Ice Style: Black Dragon!" He yelled and a massive dragon made of black chakra flew toward Fox and Koyuki who were now standing on the wall.

Fox jumped away and set her down with Kakashi who nodded to him. Fox then channeled as much chakra as he could into the middle of his chest, making the machine crack slightly. He groaned and channeled even more, making it shatter. Doto was roped away and into the sky. "Damn it…" Fox muttered. Kakashi could see his red eyes under his mask but decided to question Fox on it at another time.

* * *

 **-On the Surface-**

Doto placed the crystal into the hole and watched as four pillars rose from the ground. He turned around. Fubuki and Mizore stood in front of him facing the only way into the battle arena that they had created. Fox was walking toward them by himself. Kakashi, Ino, and Sasuke, along with Kiba were tasked with getting Koyuki out of there. Unfortunately, Kiba isn't a great listener so Koyuki arrived on the scene.

Fox weaved through hand seals and his mouth filled with air. "Wind Style: Air Bullets!" He yelled and he shot bullets of wind at the trio. He frowned as it just bounced off of their armor. He was forced to dodge a kunai rain that created massive ice cicles and unsheathed his sword in midair. A large chunk of ice had been thrown into the air with him and he used his chakra to latch onto it before slamming a ball of chakra into it.

"Rasengan!" He yelled and he was sent spiraling toward them, along with the ice. He kicked off of it and landed behind Mizore.

"MIZORE!" Fubuki yelled and they watched as she covered herself with her arm, releasing her wings and flying back but at the cost of her hand from her elbow. Fox then turned and stabbed at Fubuki who attempted to block it with his gauntlet but the blade flew through and through his shoulder. He jumped back, dislodging the blade and clutching his shoulder.

Fox turned and caught and ice kunai, surprising everyone as he threw it back and it lodged into Mizore's chest. She screamed in pain as she was impaled from the inside by the icicles. She turned into a bloody human snowflake and shattered on the ground brutally but Fox didn't care at the moment. He turned his gaze to the other two. Doto was just watching. Fubuki held out his hand and shot his new claw at him. This time Fox grabbed the rope and pulled him. Fubuki was thrown toward Fox who had his sword readied and Koyuki watched as the blade pierced right through the man's heart.

Fox then unsheathed his blade from the man's chest and directed his gaze at Doto who had already finished weaving hand seals. Fox wove through hand seals as well. "Ice Style: Dual Dark Dragons!" He yelled and two massive black dragon's rushed at Fox.

"Wind Style: Cleaving Chakra Edge!" He yelled and his blade was surrounded by wind chakra. He began to move his hands so fast that Doto couldn't see them. "Kenjutsu Art: Fox Style: Crossing Tails!" Fox yelled and everyone's eyes widened. In an instant the dragons were cut into pieces before crumbling to dust. Fox appeared behind Doto and his eyes widened. There was no way that jutsu could pierce his chakra armor.

He coughed up blood however as a Naruto clone stabbed him through his back, right through the chakra shield emitter. "No…" He began to panic and Fox's hand neared his chest, a spiral of rainbow chakra in his hand. It grew four sizes and Fox shoved it into the larger man.

"Giant Rasengan!" Fox yelled and team seven had just arrived to witness Doto soaring through the air before flying through one of the newly formed pillars. The land of snow was turned into a spring instantly. Fox then sighed and his eyes widened. Had he used too much chakra? He fell backward. He hit the ground unconscious.

Ino dashed to his side and checked him for injury, finding that he wasn't even low on chakra, so what was the problem? She shook him but he didn't respond.

* * *

 **That's a wrap! Thanks for reading this chapter! Leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	19. S1 Ch19: Goodbye Kurama, Bloodline

**Last Time on Naruto: Bound by Tails! (Recap Music!)**

Naruto (Fox) went head to head with Doto and managed to come out without any injuries but fell unconscious after the battle, what's wrong with him and how will Ino cope with Naruto (Fox?) coming back into her life… even if it is just temporary. She had been sad as he hadn't been there for a few weeks and he just popped back into existence out of nowhere… however this isn't the end of _Fox_ his entire escapade/adventure has just begun.

* * *

 **Now!**

Naruto stood in front of his tenant but things were different than before. His tenant had a large sad smile and Naruto knew something bad was happening. "Kyuubi…" Naruto muttered and Kyuubi sighed.

"As of this day I am no longer going to be a being." The Kyuubi said. "So I want you to call me by my real name before I go Kit." His voice didn't have its usual power of scariness to it, like he had lost his will.

"What do you mean Kyuubi? Where are you going?" Naruto asked, thinking it was some kind of joke. The Kyuubi chuckled lightly and Naruto could see him fading away, but he could also feel himself becoming a bit more powerful. "Goddamnit Kurama!" Naruto yelled and Kurama smirked.

"That's what I wanted to hear…" He said and he closed his eyes. "Now for an explanation, I am almost out of time." He said and Naruto growled. "Calm down Naruto…" Naruto's eyes widened, unless it was truly serious Kurama never called him by his name. "Remember when we fused our chakra Naruto?" Naruto nodded and Kurama sighed.

"It seems that when we fused our chakra I wasn't aware that I was only half of the being that I used to be. Therefore I am being completely absorbed into your chakra stream as a permanent boost to literally everything. The most noticeable being your speed and eyes." Naruto went to ask a question. " **SHUT IT!** As I was saying. You have gotten faster, even if you haven't noticed, your battle instincts have even improved, for instance, without noticing, you have gotten much better at using the foxfire and fox arts." Naruto frowned but nodded.

"Now for the real news." Kurama said and Naruto prepared himself for the worst. "You have been mutated by my chakra to have a doujutsu, it also activated a hidden Uzu bloodline, it has to do with Maelstrom and blood bending." Naruto's eyes were wide as saucers at this. "I'll explain." He said and Naruto nodded.

"First is your Doujutsu. It's something that I've always been able to do and it activates subconsciously when you are in danger or feel great emotion." Kurama said. "It not only enhances your sight and reflexes, it allows you to copy jutsu and you are virtually immune to genjutsu, save for those of the most powerful Sharingan ones. You can see chakra points if you focus, similar to the Byakugan and you can see almost three hundred and sixty degrees." Naruto nodded. "However." Naruto stiffened. "The more you us it, the more merciless you will get. You might even start to enjoy playing with your _food_." Naruto realized what he meant and frowned.

"Next is the Maelstrom bloodline." He said and Naruto nodded, he knew Maelstrom had to do with wind and water. "Your Maelstrom, which _just_ activated, will allow you to create water and wind jutsu that only the likes of Madara Uchiha could match with his own fireball." Naruto nodded. "The hand seals and chakra required for the jutsu will be minimal as well." Naruto smirked a bit at this. "This doesn't come with any drawbacks…" Kurama said before sighing. "And now for the biggest thing." He said.

"Bloodbending." He said and Naruto frowned. "Some people are immune to this, depending on their blood type and how much iron is in their blood. You will be able to mold the blood of those around you to your will, making them do whatever you want. Those that are immune to it would be users of other Kekkei Genkai as well as the Uchiha altogether. Now for the reason that this is the most important." He began. "That seal on the Uchiha's neck, and on 'Snake's' neck. They can be manipulated through blood bending, however the Uchiha will have to have a blood transfusion beforehand as you cannot manipulate his blood." Naruto nodded.

"That is almost everything…" Kurama said and Naruto frowned, there was more? "I have one more thing to give to you." Kurama said and he smiled sadly at Naruto. Naruto felt tears welling in his eyes. Kurama was translucent. "I transferred it to your chakra stream so if you channel your chakra to your palm, it will appear in your hand." He said and Naruto frowned.

"But Kurama!" He yelled and reached out for the larger fox who sighed and closed his eyes.

" _ **Goodbye… Naruto…**_ " Naruto was crying whole tears by this point and closed his eyes.

"You were my partner Kurama… I wanted to earn your respect before calling you by your true name but… I will gladly remember you and whenever referring to you, I'll call you by your true name. You are Kurama. An ally to the Uzumaki Clan." Naruto said and he sighed.

"So fuzzball is gone then?" He heard and he turned around. He spotted his mother standing next to a man with blonde hair and long sideburns. She was in tears and he had a sad smile on his face. Naruto realized that only one thing made sense in this situation.

"Yeah… he's gone… mom…" He wiped his tears and steeled his look. "Dad." He said and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, nodded in recognition. They walked in to give him a hug and Naruto planted his fist into Minato's gut with a grin. Minato hunched over and recovered quickly.

"I guess I deserved that one…" He said and Naruto sighed, pulling both of his parents into a hug. He felt a bit of an odd feeling from his dad's leftover chakra but paid it no mind. "Anyway Naruto… it's good to finally meet you, I can't tell you how happy I am to see you right now." Naruto shook his head.

"I know you are only a chakra projection dad, no need to lie, I know you have feelings and I love you but I don't want to grow attached to something that's going to fade away after a short conversation." Naruto said and Minato nodded. Naruto was right after all.

Naruto turned to his mother and smiled kindly. "Mom…" He said and he pulled her into a tighter hug. She smiled and hugged him back, just as hard.

"Sweet Naruto…" She muttered and they both began to cry, seeing this Minato began to tear up as well like a baby. "I know we talked before but there is something I want to give you." She said and he frowned. "Not so much as give as… to tell you. I want you, whenever you have time, to find the old wreckage of the Namikaze house and dig down. There is a secret room and inside that secret room is a scroll. It contains all of our greatest jutsu." Kushina said and Naruto nodded with a determined look.

He turned to his dad who sighed and held up his fist. Naruto grinned and fist bumped his late dad. "Naruto, I'm sure you've already had this conversation with your mother so I will only say a couple of things…" Naruto nodded. "From the moment I found out that your mother was pregnant, I was the happiest guy in the world, when I saw you get torn out of Kushina's arms, I made it my goal to kill that man, Madara Uchiha." Minato said and naruto frowned but nodded. "I love you with all of my being Naruto, you couldn't have made me more proud when you entered the Anbu force. You are shaping up to be a true shinobi… however…" He said and Naruto's look hardened. "You need to give more thought to those around you, I know you love the Yamanaka and I know you care for your sensei and Sasuke like family, make sure you keep close to them. I know I made that mistake with Obito. Don't make the same mistake I made." Naruto nodded.

"Inside the scroll at the Namikaze house, there is the description of the Hiraishin Seal, I know you are naturally great with seals, it may take you a while but once you figure it out. You will have matched me in seal mastery. I want you to use that and I want you to accomplish the goal that Jiraiya-sensei and I really wanted to accomplish."

"Goal? What goal?" Naruto asked and Minato grinned at him, ruffling his hair.

"World Peace." he said and Naruto grinned, nodding. "One last thing Naruto." Minato said as they began to fade away.

"What?" Naruto asked with a frown.

Minato's grin widened even further and tears began to fall from both of his parents' eyes. "We love you! You are going to become the greatest Hokage ever to be seen!" They said and Naruto grinned widely, watching them fade to dust.

"I love you too…" He muttered and his look suddenly turned cold. "I love everyone on my team and in the leaf village, which is why it's going to be difficult to do what I am about to do." Naruto said and he wove through hand seals. "Ninja Art: False Death." He said and he was suddenly sent to the land of the living.

* * *

 **That's a (Wrap!) I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I want to shout out a couple of great reviewers! This is the turning point for the story, starting the true (Cold Hearted Fox) Arc. His life in Anbu has just begun, I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review and tell me what you thought.**

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* * *

 **Listen people! I really appreciate everything that everyone tells me! I don't care if it's negative! You are all great in your own regards. I really love writing and I love all of you! Make sure to keep reviewing and I'll make sure to shout you out. Also I respond to literally every PM so don't be scared to do so! Until next chapter! I love you all!**


	20. S2 Ch20: Love

**Last Season of Naruto: Bound by Tails!(Sarutobi Theme Plays Quietly in the Background)**

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Was one sentence muttered to his team, team seven. Naruto began to grow cold and distant after a confrontation with Ino. He ends up killing an Ice kekkei genkai user by the name of Haku Momochi, the apprentice and adopted son of Zabuza Momochi. The only way he was capable of this however was by using the foxes chakra and with a little help from his mother.

Fusing his chakra with Kurama brought some odd side effects. His blood mutated, activating three bloodline traits.

Eyes of the Beast (Unofficial) Naruto gains the basic perks of the Sharingan, such as copying jutsu and taijutsu. His reflexes have increased by quite a bit and his speed along with it, not to mention his eyesight. If he thinks it's necessary, he can activate an ability within the doujutsu, allowing him to see chakra points. Along with his ability to channel foxfire, this allows him to even _burn_ chakra coils.

Maelstrom, Latent Uzumaki Bloodline. His Water/Wind Jutsu require little to no chakra and are much more powerful. He can use wind to augment his abilities and his swordplay. With his water augmentation, he can mold water to his will, harden, and control. He can travel through water with speed and is boosted in combat as well as power.

Bloodbending. This is a form of water jutsu but it allows the user manipulation of someone's blood. While it sounds good on paper, as it gives you the ability to instantly kill someone or bend them to your will, it also has large drawbacks. For one it takes a massive amount of chakra, even Naruto could only do it about four times before being out of chakra. Not to mention it only works on those that hold no ties to a kekkei genkai or Uchiha. Uchiha's are invincible against it.

Naruto had also received some kind of gift from Kurama and he hasn't pulled it out of his chakra system yet.

After dealing with the land of waves, training with Kakashi for a secret job in the shadows, and returning to the leaf, Naruto, Ino, and Sasuke were thrown into the chunin exams. Naruto lead the charge and the first two tests went relatively well, besides the fact that Sasuke had been marked by Orochimaru and his hatred had intensified. Throughout the final rounds Naruto noticed immediately that he was losing Sasuke.

After the Sand and Sound began to invade Naruto earned himself the title of Bloodrain of Konoha by killing platoon after platoon of ninja from the two opposing villages. Naruto then proceeded to save Ino and Sasuke's life, getting a brief kiss from the other blonde, leaving him really confused about their relationship. He then beat down the jinjuriki of the sand with the help of Kurama, letting his fellow jinjuriki flee from the battlefield with the promise to never return as enemies.

He then cut down the sound four, Orochimaru's go to sound squad and went to intervene between the Hokage and Orochimaru but he was too late. The Third Hokage was killed, placing Jiraiya in a temporary spot of power. After the funeral Jiraiya greeted Naruto at his home, using his temporary power to send temporary Anbu (Fox) on a mission to bring back Tsunade the Slug Princess.

After managing to overcome Kabuto and Orochimaru, Tsunade takes up the title of fifth hokage and Naruto is accepted to take the test Anbu. Albeit a bit childish, the test proved to be difficult because 'Snake' who had been put on his team afterward, was a strong opponent than Fox, Boar, and Ox had anticipated. Fox was then placed on a team with Neko and Snake but soon after he was sent on a solo mission to the land of snow that was rather easy for him.

Despite things working out how he had planned for about two and a half weeks, Naruto soon realized that nothing good lasts, Kurama had to say farewell and Naruto got to meet his father. He received intel from both of his parents about a scroll underground beneath the rubble of the Namikaze house. Kurama had informed him of his three new bloodline traits and a gift.

* * *

 **Now! Welcome to the 2nd Season of Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

Kakashi had known that this was a fake death but he also knew that it was necessary for the furthering of Naruto's ninja goal. He informed Kakashi of his goal some time ago.

' _Sensei… I have a real goal and I won't hesitate to destroy anyone that stands in my way. Orochimaru-teme is sitting on a whole empire, he has the sand and sound under his control and I am going to slowly tear his entire empire apart inside out, this is my goal. I am going to rip apart everything Orochimaru cares about and kill him myself.'_

Kakashi remembered the morbid sound of Naruto's voice, showing no mercy and complete dominance. He wouldn't let the Snake Bastard get away with everything he had done. After they returned to the village from the land of snow, Kakashi informed Tsunade that Naruto's plan was a success and to fulfill her part of the deal, which was to announce his death to the village, alerting the Akatsuki that he was dead.

Akatsuki's plans would be delayed, as well as Kisame's but he could always go back to the Akatsuki. He was definitely disappointed, he felt like this was too anticlimactic for the Kyuubi Jinjuriki, he had his heart shut off somehow on a mission as an Anbu. He ended up falling back into the Akatsuki but he was going to keep a close eye out for Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke seemed to be affected almost as much as Ino, actually shedding tears. He figured the dobe was going to be fine but he wasn't. He had died in Ino's arms and Sasuke had gotten a flashback to when Itachi had killed his entire family. This made him in turn strive for more power and made him consider going to Orochimaru. With Naruto not around, there was no reason for him to stay in this godforsaken village. He was absolutely livid and had trashed his home when he found out that Naruto was unsavable.

Iruka took it hard as well, he had resigned from his role as a school teacher and someone else took over. He had shut himself in and no one had heard from him since. Konohamaru took his training overly seriously now, training insanely hard with Ebisu every day. He was unresponsive most of the time and was always mad. He didn't even speak to Asuma anymore.

Most of the rookie nine took it hard as well. Hinata had shut herself in and Kiba strived to get stronger. Shino remained himself to no one's surprise and Choji seemed to eat even more. Shikamaru and Naruto were a bit close so he was even more lazy and tired than before. Sakura had made good friends with Naruto after they had graduated and this hit her pretty hard. She was contemplating giving up being a ninja before her mom hardened her resolve and she went to Tsunade for training.

The one that took it the worst though, was Ino. Naruto had died in her arms and she didn't know how. She had grown to love the blonde and the first time he disappeared she was sad but she knew he was alive, she wanted a relationship with him but wasn't there for her to discuss it with him. The kiss they had shared had made her realize that she didn't want to lose Naruto and she was ready to love him. Fate had something else in store however as Naruto died. She was destroyed after Naruto's death. She hadn't stopped crying and she was contemplating suicide. Her chest hurt so bad, it was like the wasn't allowed to love anything.

She was currently sitting on the couch that he slept on, curled up to the Fox he had gotten for her. She was broken. She suddenly stood up. "I can't stay here…" She muttered and she began to get dressed in her ninja gear, grabbing whatever she could to eat and sealing it in a scroll, using what little fuinjutsu knowledge she could gather from the Academy.

Ino left the building before immediately jumping into the rooftops. She made her way to the border of the village and in front of her stood two Anbu ninja. She weaved a couple hand seals that Kurenai had shown her. The Anbu instantly collapsed due to a powerful genjutsu and she dashed past them. Upon exiting the village she took off in a mad dash out of the village, the intent of becoming a missing nin powerful in her mind. She needed to make it far away from that village before everyone she cared for died.

She landed on a tree branch in front of another Anbu. She tried the genjutsu again but it didn't work so she decided to go in for close combat, her speed was immense but the Anbu had no problem keeping up with her, catching her arm and twisting it oddly, making her fall, there was no pain pain though. She awaited the ground but instead the Anbu picked her up bridal style and began to walk back toward the village calmly.

"Let me go!" She yelled and she attempted to break free. He wouldn't budge though. "Please… I don't want everyone I love to die!" She yelled and tears began to fall down her face again. The Anbu walked into a particularly empty part of the forest, allowing the moonlight to grace them and he stopped. He set Ino down. She stared at him for a moment.

"Is that really what you think is going to happen?" Spoke a familiar voice, making Ino's eyes widen. "Ino…" He said and he slowly pulled off his masked, which she recognized as a fox mask. "I'm sorry." He said, revealing his face to be Naruto. "But I can't let you go." Naruto said and he began to walk toward her.

"Naruto…" She muttered. This couldn't be real, there was no way this was real. "Kai!" She yelled, trying to disable a Genjutsu. It didn't work so she grabbed a kunai, ready to stab herself in the thigh to wake up from the illusion. She was unable to follow through however as Naruto grabbed her wrist and stared her in the eyes. Her own greenish teal ones stared back into his violet/cerulean ones. Her soul was on her sleeve when it came to Naruto it seems because tears began to flow down her face freely.

Naruto leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, making her eyes widen and he hugged her with one arm, his other one occupied by her own holding a kunai. This didn't last much longer however as she dropped the kunai and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in closer. The kiss was light and nice but Ino and Naruto could feel all of their love pulsing through their bodies. Ino's tears got larger and Naruto smiled kindly, pulling back from the kiss. "I'm sorry for this Ino… I needed to go off the map…" Naruto said and Ino put her head on his chest.

"I missed you so much Naruto… I really need to tell you this and I thought I would never see you again…" Naruto nodded, his soft smile was still present and Ino could see the love in his eyes. "Naruto Uzumaki…" She said and she hugged him tightly. "I love you…" She said and Naruto's eyes widened. His look returned to normal and tears threatened to fall. He had a huge grin on his face, signaling how happy he really was.

"I love you too Ino…" Naruto said and Ino grinned too, going to kiss him. Naruto pressed his lips to hers one last time before she fell unconscious from him chopping the back of her neck. She slumped into his arms and he vanished via shunshin. He sped his way through the village to their home and placed Ino inside, taking off her ninja gear and placing it to the side. He then walked to the side and wrote a note.

* * *

Ino woke up with a sad look on her face. The dream was too good to be true. She had to accept the fact that he was gone and that she would never love again. She got ready to prepare to leave again but she noticed a warmish feeling on her lips. She then noticed that on the side of the bed was Naruto's jacket from before he started to dress as an Anbu. On the jacket was a note.

She walked over and picked it up, beginning to read. She could imagine him talking in his own voice to her, relaying the message to her.

 _'Ino. I can't tell you how happy I am that you love me back. I can only tell you that I love you with my entire being. I went against the recommendation of Hokage-sama and revealed myself to you but I must ask you as not only a dear friend but as somebody much closer than that, to keep my secret. I want to protect this village from the shadows and I want to keep it that way. When the time is right I will come out of hiding but until then, remember that I love you and stay strong. Please don't make me chase you down again, I would do it until I died just to see you but it gives chance of compromise and I can't let that happen. I left my jacket with you as a reminder of our love and in the jacket pocket is something to seal that love. Please wait for me Ino._

 _-With all the love in my being, Naruto-_

 _P.s. I'll try to get you a more expensive one for next time._

Ino read it with Naruto's voice and had a massive happy grin on her face afterward but she had to see what Naruto got to seal their love. She put on his jacket and in the jacket pocket was a black box. Her eyes widened at the sight of the box and she hesitantly opened it, her heart beating a million pumps a second. She laid eyes upon a silver band with a simple word on it.

'Bind.' She smiled and nodded her head, accepting the bind. It wasn't an engagement ring, it was a promise ring. A ring that meant Naruto and Ino would stay loving of each other and wait for the other person. Instead of putting the ring on her finger, she put it on a chain around her neck. She was truly bound to Naruto. Every time she was with him, it was like he was hugging her with tails and keeping her on her feet. It was like she was ' **Bound by Tails.** '

She smiled grinned and hugged herself with the jacket, taking in her scent. She was going to be much more happy from now on. The next day, she was going to resume her duties as a true ninja. It was time to get Sasuke back on his feet and look for a new team member. She also needed to ask Kakashi about training her some more.

* * *

The next day Ino made her way to the training ground with the headstone, as usual Kakashi was standing in front of it. "Sensei." She said and Kakashi was a bit caught off guard because he hadn't heard from her in a while. He absorbed her features and smiled to himself. She was wearing Naruto's jacket. It was a simple blue one with black lines on the sleeves and the Konoha swirl on her back. The swirl looked a bit odd though. It was the Uzumaki Clan Insignia. The jacket was big on her but he knew she would grow into it over the next year if she kept up with her training.

"Sensei." She said again and he was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" He asked and she grinned at him. This was really weird, this basically solidified that she knew Naruto was alive. "What is it Ino?" He asked and she smirked.

"It's time to get Sasuke and a new teammate, Team 7 needs to resume duty."

* * *

 **Wrap! This is the first chapter of season two! I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review and tell me what you thought. Tell me where I could improve on my writing and tell me any requests you have. Ino is basically open game right now as she will not be in a lot of chapters. Most of the new chapters will revolve around 'Fox' doing Assassination, Infiltration, Information Gathering, Treaty Making, and Training. Thanks for reading!**


	21. S2 Ch21: Plans

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

 **Naruto revealed himself to Ino and she is in a much better mood, they promised themselves to each other and when Naruto comes out of hiding they will be able to be together like they both want, but for now Naruto is going to work from the shadows, so begins the Cold Fox Arc (Trademarked).**

* * *

 **Now!**

The sand had easily seen better days. Its economy was in the gutter and its people were destroying each other. Attacking the leaf village was the worst decision they could have made. They were on their way out the door. Their Kazekage had been killed by Orochimaru, revealing that they were literally 'Snaked' into attacking the leaf alongside Orochimaru, and the only one with the ability to become the Kazekage were three kids. One of them killed his own people for **FUN**. This was a terrible time for their nation.

After the invasion Gaara wanted to take over as the Kazekage but the council refused, saying he was a maniac and would just put the village into the ground. The old Gaara would have killed him but now he wanted to use peaceful methods. Tsunade had other, more dark methods in mind.

Tsunade held out a scroll for Fox to take and he dd so. She had a smirk on her face, she was confident in the abilities of her best Anbu at the moment. "Fox, this is a classified S-Rank mission. You are to work from the shadows, assassination is key. First you have to study them and memorize their daily routines. After that, take your time and try to make it look like accidents. We only have one shot with this. If you are caught, it means almost certain execution for you, as well as a second war between Suna and Konoha." Fox nodded.

"Yes Hokage-sama." He said and she waved her arms. He vanished and she frowned, turning around in her seat to look out the window.

"Be safe Naruto." She muttered and Shizune walked into her office. "What is it?" Tsunade asked, noticing the urgency in Shizune's posture and breathing. "Shizune!" She yelled.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama! Orochimaru is at the village gate requesting audience!" She yelled and Tsunade's eyes widened. She immediately ran out of the office at high speeds. Orochimaru was indeed at the front gate with his hands healed and a smirk on his face.

"What do you want you snake bastard!?" Tsunade yelled, she knew she couldn't best the snake and if she were to fall to him, everyone else in the village would, soon after. Orochimaru chuckled before his look turned serious.

"I want to bring Naruto Uzumaki back from the dead." He said and Tsuande's eyes widened. "He is dead correct?" Tsunade glared and nodded her head. "Then it shouldn't be a problem, the only thing is that I have literally zero DNA or evidence from Naruto. I'm starting to believe he isn't dead." Orochimaru said matter of factly, Tsunade sensed a knowing in his voice and decided to play along.

"Why would you want to bring Naruto back from the dead? Don't you hate him after what he took from you?" She asked and Orochimaru shrugged.

"See, the thing is. I want my sword back, not to mention that I am trying to protect myself. The Akatsuki think I am responsible for the death of Naruto and they think I am delaying their plans." Tsunade scowled.

"Plans?" She asked and he nodded with a shrug.

"Some abstract method of creating world peace by subduing all nine tailed beasts. They are currently going around collecting them." Orochimaru said and Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples. "Anyway, I need some of his DNA to revive him Tsunade-hime." He said and he smirked as she was a bit hesitant. He already knew he was right but seeing it was funny to him.

"I'm afraid that's going to be a problem." Spoke a new voice. It was Jiraiya. "Naruto Uzumaki is dead." He said firmly, confident that if the snake were to try anything, he and Tsunade could handle it easily. "Now scram. I'll make Bunta a new wallet if you don't." He said and Orochimaru chuckled.

"It's fine, I've already got what I've come for." He said and he turned around. "See you later old friends." He said and he sunk into the ground. Jiraiya sighed when he was gone.

"There is something I want to talk to you about Tsuande-hime." He said and Tsunade frowned but nodded.

* * *

Fox jumped from tree to tree at sonic speeds and simultaneous read the scroll that Tsunade had given him.

 _First Target: Baki Tenshi_

 _Long blonde wavy hair and black eyes. Is a civilian council member but he seems to hold the biggest influence._

 _Second Target: Katsuki Yugo_

 _Spiky black hair with tattoos on his face and green eyes, uses puppets but not nearly as well as the last listed member._

 _Third Target: Yuki Yuugi_

 _Second Sister of the previous Hokage. Long sky blue hair and deep red eyes. Seems to be the most cautious of the council members._

 _Fourth Target: Sergio Bloodfang_

 _Long black hair that goes to the waist line and pink eyes that shine like blood in the moonlight. Carries one of the chakra tantos, be careful._

 _Fifth Target: Sasori of the Red Sand_

 _Definitely the biggest threat on the council, has mastery of puppets and has been said to have over three hundred puppets at his disposal. Next in line to be the Kazekage. Watch yourself Fox, he is said to be a part of the Akatsuki, even though he denies these rumors. Has red short wild hair and dark brownish eyes._

Fox frowned under his mask at this info. He had an opportunity to kill an Akatsuki member and he wouldn't fail. He picked up his speed and within a few hours he was on the borders of the sand. It was hot but he didn't care. He made camp for the night and slept, making sure to set traps around the camp.

* * *

The next morning Fox made his way through village in the shadows, not being noticed by anyone. Thankfully the sand was lacking in ninja after the battle and they naturally didn't have many sensors at all. He hid well the entire time and managed to get himself into the shadows of the council room, using his chakra to mask himself.

There was currently a meeting going on. He stared from the darkness at his first target.

'Baki Tenshi.'

* * *

 **That's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed, leave a review telling me what you think!**


	22. S2 Ch22: Suicide, Uzushiogakure?

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

 **Fox is on a mission to infiltrate the sand and assassinate everyone on the council, he selected his first target, being the Civilian on the council, Baki Tenshi. Orochimaru appeared at the gate of Konohagakure and seemed to have something dastardly planned, purposefully revealing the plans of the Akatsuki to Tsunade. Who's side is he on?**

* * *

 **Now!**

Fox had been trailing Baki Tenshi for two days, getting down his daily routine. The problem was that he was supposed to make it look like an accident which was almost impossible due to the fact that he was _always_ surrounded by seven jounin level sand ninja. He was getting irritated trying to find a way to do this and knew it was going to be difficult but he also knew he could make it work if he did it right. He believed he could find a way to do this.

'So far I have that he always does his workout routine in the morning and that includes normal push ups and pull ups, as well benching and leg press.' He isn't nearly ninja level but he was definitely strong for a civilian. He was tall and bulky, meaning he could probably take a few stabs if need be so Fox needed to find a way to kill him in one action. Fox closed his eyes, going deeper into thought.

'He goes and grabs a bite to eat, while it's not usually anything special, poison is always an option, though they could check the food. After that he goes cliff climbing and had fun with his family. His wife is a cheater and so it he, it's overall a bad marriage and their kids are suicidal. What can I do about this…? The jounin are always hidden so no-one besides maybe Sasori knows they exist. If I can manage to kill them without being noticed then I could get away with it. The civilian wouldn't notice either…' Then it struck him. The civilian was just that, a civilian.

'Genjutsu.' Fox thought. 'I can be in and out from a far. This should be easy depending on how I control the situation…' Fox thought. 'He cares about his kids dearly so I can use them as bait… maybe I can even get him to off himself in a fashion where they wouldn't suspect anything.' Fox's eyes snapped open and he had a smirk under his mask. 'Bingo.' He said and he trailed him for half a day. Once they were at the top of the cliff Fox placed a genjutsu on the Civilian Council Member, Baki Tenshi.

* * *

Baki looked around. The sky had suddenly gone dark. Around him were the bodies of seven people he recognized as ninja in Suna. "What the hell!?" He yelled and Fox stepped out from behind a tree, in the darkness, his cross eyes were visible and his glare was easily recognizable. In his arms was his kid who was crying.

"Daddy!" He yelled and the man growled. He wanted to kill this masked man. "Help me please!" He yelled and Fox held a kunai to the kids' neck. He glanced at the cliff and Baki scowled.

"Jump off and I will let him go." Fox spoke clearly, making both his kid and Baki's eyes to go wide. "Do it." Fox said and Baki growled, he as ready to rush Fox. Fox pressed the steel blade closer to the kids neck and his tears grew larger. Baki began to panic and cry as well. "I will not hesitate to kill him." fox said and Baki shook his head, reaching out. Fox sighed and slit the kids' throat.

"NO!" Baki yelled and Fox reached out and behind the tree again before grabbing his daughter and pulling her into view. "No please… please…" Baki said, getting on his knees and begging for their lives. "Please let her go… I'll do it! I'll do it… just please…" Fox nodded and pointed at the cliff. Baki turned and sighed. His tears hit the ground hard as he ran and jumped off the cliff, screaming. He hit the ground with a thud and was instantly dead.

* * *

When the sky brightened back up he was dead on the ground in a crowd of people. "Councilor Baki!" Someone yelled. "He killed himself!" Another yelled and Fox nodded to himself from the shadows. The jounin guarding him were there as well, a little shocked at his options and seeing if there was anyone responsible, with no evidence, they concluded that he had killed himself.

"Pour guy." Said a man with red hair, walking out from a building. "Couldn't handle the pressure of his wife cheating on him." He said and a woman with long blond hair walked out after him, clinging to him and laughing at the mangled corpse of the man who had commited suicide.

"I always knew my husband was weak but damn." She said with a chuckle. They then made their way back inside as the authorities dealt with his body. Sounds of sex were heard soon after that. Fox heard the entire scenario and couldn't find it in him to care, all of them were scum in their own right. Besides, this was the first step to destroying Orochimaru's empire.

He then slipped back into the council room. He went over the objectives and decided who to deal with next. Yuki Yuugi… she had connections to the previous Hokage and the next one. Fox had a plan of his own, and that was to put Gaara into a powerful position, giving a Jinjuriki the position of Kazekage would give Jinjuriki better looks everywhere. It would also make it easier to protect himself from the Akatsuki who seemed to be after the Jinjuriki.

He closed his eyes in deep thought. Yes, that was perfect… His next target is Yuki Yuugo. The second sister of The Third Kazekage. Fox's eyes shone brightly in the dark, his eyes orange and his pupils four pronged shuriken. 'Eyes of the Beast' active.

* * *

"That doesn't make any sense Jiraiya. Why would I send him to the remains of Uzushiogakure for a year? It may be the land of the Uzumaki but it's not like he has any family remaining. Kiri and Iwa made sure of that during the second war, if not for Minato, even Kushina would have been killed." Tsunade said and Jiraiya nodded, holding up his hand.

"You're right that he doesn't have any family left in Uzu. However I think it would do him good, it would be a great learning experience for him. Even if he is nearing Kage Level, he isn't exactly the most sturdy tool in the shed mentally. He could get in touch with his family, maybe study fuinjutsu. It would be a win, win for everyone Hime." Jiraiya said and Tsunade contemplated this for a moment. A scroll then arrived via bird in her window.

"What is..." She read the contents and a smirk came onto her face. "It seems Fox has already gotten to work." She showed the scroll to Jiraiya and he grinned.

 _'Baki Tenshi, Councilmen of Sunagakure, has committed suicide after learning that his wife had been cheating on him with another man.'_

* * *

 **That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed, leave a review and tell me what you thought.**


	23. S2 Ch23: Two Down

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

 **Fox successfully managed to make the councilmen, Baki Tenshi, commit suicide and set his eyes upon his next pray, prey being Yuki Yuugi. Meanwhile Tsunade and Jiraiya talk about sending Naruto to Uzu.**

* * *

 **Now!**

It had been a week since the incident with Baki and the council wasn't really affected that much. Baki had a lot of influence but he also didn't have any _real_ power. He was just a rich guy with a cheating wife who also cheated on his wife. He was scum of the earth, he did take care of his kids though. Sergio was careless about his death and so was Sasori but Yuki and Katsuki seemed to be a bit paranoid. They always had a battalion of ninja around them, leaving no ninja in the streets to protect the village or civilians.

Yuki was always doing something, be it exercising, training, or even having sex. She wasn't a bad person per say but she wasn't a good person. She had done her fair share of bad things and she was a bit spiritual so she believed that karma would come back and get her back for what she had done so she ran from her family and from her responsibilities. The only reason she went to the meetings was for appearance. Besides, Sasori would kill her if she didn't go.

Currently she had to get away for a minute. She still had her ninja guarding her but she made her way out of the village and into a small little oasis a little over a mile away. She sat on some grass and sighed, breathing in the peaceful atmosphere. She heard footsteps. "Halt." She heard and she turned to see her battalion in front of a man wearing a mask. In his eyes, she saw a cold calculated look. He began to weave through hand seals and she felt a massive chakra fill the air. Her breathing hitched.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough." The man said and her eyes widened. Using a wind style jutsu like that in the desert could create a potentially deadly sandstorm. She prepared herself and her battalion began to try and counter the man's jutsu with their own jutsu but it was ineffective. Fox's jutsu easily overpower theirs and grew three sizes, completely sealing them off in a massive sandstorm so powerful that she could feel it tearing at her cloths and chipping her skin, just enough to draw blood.

Her eyes widened as her body began to move on its own. She jumped into the water and wanted to scream as her body wouldn't listen to her. She was slowly buried in the fierce sandstorm. Tears filled her eyes as she and her battalion of ninja were effortlessly buried under layer upon layer of sand, killed by their very own element. Without any way to save herself, she as well as every single ninja in her battalion, were suffocated and crushed under thousands of pounds of sand.

The sandstorm didn't die down until hours after that. Fox's maelstrom kekkei genkai made that jutsu at least five times more powerful than before and was pleased with the results as he hadn't had an opportunity to test out his jutsu since the incident with Kurama. Not to mention that he also got to test out his blood bending as she had been cut, giving him direct access. He made her jump in the water, making it easier to bury her.

* * *

After he had completed his task he returned to his stealthy demeanor in the shadows, spying on the councilmen who were growing worried for their fourth member.

After a few days, she and her battalion were announced missing. However it didn't take long for them to notice and Oasis Outpost had been buried in sand and under the sand was her entire battalion, as well as her. It was declared a natural cause as they had been killed by the sandstorm.

While they were focused on this Fox was working on a side job, killing the town people off, using other townspeople to do so. He had used his blood bending ability on a man with a cut on his hand and had him pick up a knife before going to town on his family and his close neighbors. The man was fully conscious at the time and was aware of what he was doing, he thought he had done it on purpose as he had begun to enjoy the killing. This all went according to Fox's plan as the council began to question this man.

He then moved onto his next target, a man with spiky black hair and tattoos on his face, as well as teal greenish eyes. "Katsuki Yugo."

* * *

Tsunade smirked as she received a second report from a bird.

' _Yuki Yuugi and a battalion of her own ninja were buried in a massive sandstorm, getting crushed and suffocated to death.'_

She was really proud of Naruto. She would never tell him but she had come to think of him as a son or grandson. That made her sound old but she really loved Naruto. She was also confident in his abilities. Kakashi had personally taught Naruto the basics of assassination and infiltration. Kakashi was one of the greatest Anbu the village had ever seen, his record was perfect. Hundreds of ninja fell to him on his missions.

When Jiraiya had come in to ask her about sending Naruto to Uzu, she was a little concerned at first but knew that Jiraiya was right. He wanted Naruto to be in touch with his history. From what Naruto had described to her about how he felt toward his mother after he had met her, Naruto had a strong connection to her, likely due to their shared Uzumaki lineage.

To her, he also shared a lot of similarities to his mother. They were both great ninja, they held their family above all others, Naruto considered Ino family and he would kill anyone who hurt her. Naruto and Kushina also shared the same fascination with swordplay and water jutsu. They even shared the same goal, being the greatest hokage. Kushina didn't make the position but… she knew Naruto could. She remembered the fierce look in Naruto's eyes when he stood in front of her, defending her from Orochimaru. She also remembered the look in his eyes when he asked her to tell him about Ino's missions. Normally this would be classified and not revealed but she had a soft spot for the blonde Uzumaki.

She decided that Jiraiya was right. After a few more months as an Anbu, she would send him to Uzu. She also knew of a good cover, information gathering on the old village, she would say that she considered using it as an outpost as it wasn't far from the village. It was closer to Kiri but they could access it pretty easily.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair, she could use a drink. She popped open a sake bottle and the door to her office opened, revealing Jiraiya. "Need a drinking partner?" He asked, holding up three more bottles of Sake. She grinned and beckoned him in.

"You know it perv!" She yelled and he chuckled, sitting next to her and pulling out two cups.

* * *

Blue fire lit torches filled the walls of a circular room filled with a single white fox. The fox had blood red eyes and tips to its tail, as well as it's paws and 'eyebrows'. It let loose a sigh and no one would be able to tell what was on its mind if it didn't speak.

"It's been so long since I've been summoned. Not to mention last time I was only summoned once before my summoner was killed due to being reckless on a mission." The lonely Kitsune said and she sighed, rolling onto her back. "Poor little meeee~" She said and she closed her eyes, taking a nap.

* * *

Sasuke clutched his neck, it didn't hurt physically, it just hurt his Uchiha pride to use it. He loved how powerful it made him feel but he hated that he had to rely on it. He growled and punched another hole in the wall. That was the sixth one since Naruto had died. He found himself growing more and more cold and distant.

When Ino had gotten back on her feet and demanded they went on a mission, they had started back up. It was boring and Sasuke did the tasks easily but he was slowly growing angrier and angrier because he wasn't getting any stronger. He hadn't even gotten near the level Naruto was at when he died. If it weren't for Naruto, they wouldn't have been able to complete that mission with Kiba in the land of snow.

He had tried to prevent it but he was never able to save his family it seemed. It drove him even further into rage and he began to think about Itachi again. "That bastard was probably responsible for what happened to Naruto too!" He yelled and he wanted to break something but he held himself back this time. "I'm gonna kill him!" Sasuke yelled and he felt the mark on his neck call to him. He channeled his rage and punched his wall again, this time almost completely destroying it.

He looked at the wreckage and sighed. He remembered that Orochimaru had offered him power and power was what he needed. He groaned, suppressing what his brain told him. "No. I'll do it my own way. I refuse to rely on that snake bastard's power." Sasuke said but he felt the mark eating at his sanity.

* * *

 **That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review and tell me what you think.**


	24. S2 Ch:24 Treaty of Sand and Leaf

**Last time on Naruto: Bound by Tails!**

 **Naruto dealt with Yuki while Sasuke dealt with his internal struggles. Tsunade believes that Jiraiya is right about sending Naruto to Uzu. Naruto set his aim on his third target, being Katsuki Yugo.**

* * *

 **Now!**

Fox's 'Eyes of the Beast' scanned Katsuki from the shadows. He wasn't anything special but he did have ninja experience which made this one a bit more difficult than the last ones. He could blood bend but he already made one of them kill themselves, plus he was more of the paranoid type. Fox frowned under his mask, he had a lot of work ahead of him with this one. He was always on guard and had a battalion of soldiers with him, not to mention his puppets. He was clumsy with them but they were still a great defense.

Fox also scanned the other two councilmen though. If there was something he could do to deal with at least two of them at once, things would be much easier. He had been out of the leaf village for a month. He couldn't wait to be back in the leaf village. Even if he couldn't see his friends, he was still happy to be in his home village. He sighed so himself silently and scanned the remaining targets, at the moment he was completely sure he was locked in place, at least for the moment.

The meetings took place once every two days and they usually just argued about who was going to be hokage, politics, and they always talked trash about the snake. Fox found himself growing better and better with his job and was glad at that fact but he was also scared because he feared for his sanity. He already felt his emotions dulling, the only emotions he felt now was the love for his family and friends and the hatred to Orochimaru. He didn't even feel it when he took lives again, he didn't see the faces of his victims in his dreams anymore.

He frowned as he listened to Katsuki vent about Orochimaru to the others. Sergio occasionally chuckled and Sasori remained silent, ready to act at any moment. Fox tried to sense out Sasori's chakra and blood type but he found four chakra signatures in his chest and frowned at that. It was as if Sasori wasn't even a human. He then scanned Sergio's blood type and chakra before smirking. A week's worth of wasted time just came to an end as an Idea came into Fox's mind. He had bloodbending for a reason, and he was going to use it.

'Ninja Art: Bloodbending.' Fox thought and he formed an odd hand seal. The man immediately turned stiff, as if he felt the blood in his body grow thicker. He clutched his chest. He then fell to the floor, screaming in pain. It worked out just how Fox wanted it to as well and Fox closed his eyes for a moment. Sergio Bloodfang rushed to Katsuki's side and went to help him but Katsuki grabbed him by the throat and began to choke him violently.

Sergio couldn't breathe and he was struggling so he just pulled out a kunai and stabbed him in the chest. Katsuki didn't even seem to feel it as his grip tightened. Within a few seconds they were both dead on the floor. Sasori just watched this scene, not caring in the slightest as to what had occurred in front of him. He then pulled out a kunai and flung it into Sergio's head, killing him if he hadn't been dead already.

"That just leaves me to take the title of Kazekage." He said and a smirk came to his face but his eyes widened suddenly as he felt another chakra. He turned and his eyes turned to a hatful glare at the man behind him. It was Naruto Uzumaki.

(OST: **KOKUTEN** )

"Sasori of the Red Sand." Naruto said, his mask was off and his eyes shown brightly. "My target isn't you specifically but I will not let you leave alive. You are going to die here. But first… what do you know about the curse mark?" Naruto asked and Sasori's eyes widened. He began to chuckle and held up his arms.

"I don't know anything about that snake bastard's jutsu." His eyes shot open again and pain shot through him however as a sword pierced one of his hearts. He coughed up blood and looked over his shoulder. Naruto had a shadow clone stationed behind Sasori. "What…?" He asked and Naruto's gaze turned even colder.

"Three more chances Sasori. What do you know about the curse mark?" Sasori spat at him and Naruto sighed. His clone stabbed another one of Sasori's artificial hearts. He yelled out in pain. "Wrong answer." Naruto said. "Last chance." He said and Sasori glared at him. He couldn't move his body for some reason either. Sasori wanted to spill but he knew he couldn't Pain would kill him himself if he did… but wait, wasn't he going to die anyway? Naruto said he was going to die either way.

"Go ahead and kill me. You'll do it either way, if I talk or not." Naruto actually chuckled darkly, making Sasori's artificial skin crawl. "What's so funny!?" He asked and Naruto smirked he walked over to Sasori and lifted his head off of his body, that shouldn't have been possible, his body was connected by heavy duty reinforced chakra wire. It was made out of condensed chakra. He then watched his entire body crumble to pieces. His chakra control wasn't working at all.

"I put a seal on the back of your head, disabling all chakra use. So either tell me or I'll bury you in the sand." Naruto said. Sasori's head glared at him and Naruto shrugged. He then dropped sped outside in a shunshin. He appeared over some sand. "Now tell me or you'll be buried forever… well until your plastic membrane withers down to dust." Naruto said coldly and calculated. He refused to speak. "Well… that's fine. One Akatsuki down." Naruto said and he dropped the head into the sand, using a minor wind jutsu to completely bury him. "Now suffer." Naruto said and he appeared in front of a familiar house, his mask back on.

He then knocked on the door and Gaara opened it. "Huh?" He asked and Fox grinned under his mask. "Gaara! It's been awhile." Fox said and Gaara frowned. He knew who this was, it had to be Naruto. He currently had a mask on and Gaara knew better than to call Anbu by their name while on duty.

"Konoha Fox-san? What are you doing here?" He asked and fox turned, pointing to the Kazekage's building.

"Go take a look inside and tell me why I'm here." Fox said and Gaara frowned, nodding and using a sand cloud to go to the office. He then returned immediately. "Kazekage-sama, I wish to speak with you about a treaty between Konoha and Suna." Gaara's eyes widened, realizing that Fox had single handedly taken out the entire council, even Sasori himself wasn't any match, Gaara wasn't sure if he stood a chance against Sasori but he definitely couldn't beat Fox.

"Umm… Fox-san, I believe that will be the best course of action for my village, thank you for considering this. Give word to Hokage-sama, that I, the Kazekage, agree to a peace treaty, and will not hesitate to help in any matters that may danger the leaf. Fox grinned under his mask and burst into smoke. Gaara couldn't help but smirk. "This is going well." Gaara said, a treaty with the leaf will definitely be a good thing.

* * *

Fox returned to the leaf the next day as it had taken that long to travel. He landed in front of the Hokage's door and knocked. With a signal to come in, he pushed the door open. "Oh Fox, you've returned, I was expecting you after receiving the letter from the Kazekage." Fox nodded.

"Yes Hokage-sama, I have completed the mission." Fox said and Tsunade nodded. "We can also expect them to accept the treaty offer." Fox said afterward, standing up from the kneel and grinning under his mask. Tsunade grinned as well and straightened up her back as well.

"That's a relief. This makes it much easier to counter that snake bastard. Fox, I have placed a seal over the office, remove your mask." Tsunade said and Fox nodded, reaching up and revealing his face by removing his mask. "Naruto, as your Hokage I believe that this isn't a good decision at the moment but as a motherly… or grandmotherly figure." She started and Naruto chuckled a bit. "I can't hope but feel that this is the best choice. I have talked to Jiraiya and I believe it's a good idea to send you to Uzu for a while." Tsunade said and Naruto's eyes shot open in surprise.

"What? But I just got on duty Hokage-sama!" He said, a bit loudly but she held up a hand to calm him a bit. He sighed and frowned. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, I didn't mean for that outburst." She nodded with a smile. He seemed to be in thought for a moment. "Hokage-sama, I will accept this but may I please stay on active duty for awhile first? A year at least?" Naruto asked and she frowned, not liking the idea but he did have a point.

"Naruto Uzumaki…" She sighed. "Now I understand why the old man loved his pipe so much." She said with a small smirk and Naruto matched it with a nervous smile of his own. "Fine. Fox, put your mask back on." She said and Naruto complied, putting his mask back on and resuming his Alter Ego.

"Hokage-sama, If I may make a request, may I be sent on another mission, I would like to do as many missions as possible, I think that is the greatest way to protect the village." Fox said and Tsunade sighed, she knew of his goal and his mission to protect the village from the shadows. She opened her drawer and began to search through scrolls. She had two S-Rank missions and she scanned them.

"I'll let you decide. Trail a fugitive of the leaf, subdue without death, or you can go back to the Land of Waves and single handedly take out any bandits there. They are being put back under control and managed to make this request before their country was taken over." Fox nodded.

"I'll take the second one Hokage-sama." Fox said and Tsuande nodded and handed Fox the scroll. Under his mask, he beamed because the request was from Tazuna. "I will deal with it immediately, you can set aside my payment for the last mission for Ino." Fox said and Tsunade nodded. S-Rank missions gave a lot of money so it was enough to keep Ino in that home and with enough money to pay for food and ninja gear.

"I'll take my leave Hokage-sama." Fox said and she nodded with a smile.

"Good luck Fox. Don't disappoint me." Fox nodded and vanished. He still had an hour before the mandatory leave time which gave him some time to himself. He looked at his arm. It was time to see what Kurama had left for him.

* * *

He landed in his new apartment that he had bought as Fox, it was temporary, only having ninja tools and a bed. He sat on the bed and sighed, calming himself before channeling chakra into his arm. In a poof of smoke a scroll appeared in his hand.

His eyes widened immediately, realizing what was in his hand. Tears began to fall from his eyes. One word was whispered from Naruto's lips. "Kurama..."

* * *

 **That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review and tell me what you thought.**


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